Little Sister
by poefryekenway
Summary: Twelve year old Emma Gilbert is Elena's and Jeremy's younger sister who was sent to live with their Uncle John after their parents died. But one day, she shows up. How will Elena try to keep her little sister safe from all the vampire drama that happens in Mystic Falls? Begins at S1 Ep. 13 'Children of the Damned'.
1. Children of the Damned

It was night time when a taxi cab pulled up on the curb in front of the Gilbert house. The driver looked at the young girl in the back. "That'll be 190.77."

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a couple of crippled bills and put them into the waiting hand of the driver.

"Thanks." And with that, she opened the door and got out of the taxi with her backpack.

She looked at the house in front of her. Happy memories entered her mind as her eyes scanned the house. With a quick sigh, the young girl made her way to the porch. Once she reached the door, she suddenly grew nervous.

Will she get in trouble for being here? Well, of course she will, she ran away and traveled a hundred something miles to get here all by herself. Not what an 12 year old should be doing. But it's not like she had a choice. She needed to get out of there. She hated it there so much that she couldn't take it anymore. So, the nervousness quickly drained from her body, not a single care could be found. Raising her small fist, she knocked on the door.

For some time, there was a silence. The young girl rocked back and forth on her feet, waiting patiently for the door to open. Then, the door opened to reveal a tall man with jet black hair with a towel over his shoulder.

The man seemed to be surprised to see someone, a child no less, standing out on the porch. "Leave, little girl, we don't want any girl scout cookies." He began to close the door when the girl shoved her foot in between the door and the wall.

The girl glared at the man. Who did he think he was? This isn't his home. "Excuse me, old man, but this is my home." She pushed the door open more, making the man fall back a little before he regained his balance. She entered the house and the man closed the door behind her.

"Who was it at the door, Damon?" A girl with long brown hair said, making her way to the door from the kitchen. She gasped when she saw the young girl. "E-emma?"

"Elena." Emma breathed out as she gave the older girl a huge hug.

Elena hugged back with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Jenna seemed to have heard what Elena previously said and came running to where the three were. "Whoa, whoa, Emma? Emma's here?" Her question was confirmed when she saw Emma standing next to Elena.

Emma did a little wave. "Hi."

Jeremy came running in with a huge smile. "Em!"

"Jer!" Emma and Jeremy crushed each other in a hug. When they pulled apart, Damon raised his hand a little.

"Okay, hi, uhh, who is this?" he asked, turning to Elena for an answer.

Elena put her hands in her back pockets. "Damon, this is Emma." She lifted one hand in the direction of Emma. "My little sister."

Damon widened his eyes. "Little sister?" he hissed, leaning toward Elena.

Jenna cleared her throat to have everyone's attention on her. "What are you doing here, young lady?" she said, crossing her arms. Emma looked down at her shoes, the thoughts of getting in trouble coming back.

Jeremy put an arm around Emma's shoulders. "Aw come on, Jenna. Don't be so hard on her."

Emma looked up Jeremy. "It's okay, Jer." Moving her gaze back to Jenna, she said, "I ran away."

"Oh, I think that's kind of obvious. I want to know _why_ you decided to run away. Does Uncle John even know that you're gone?" Jenna asked.

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "He should by now, I left him a note." The girl sighed when she saw the new look her Aunt Jenna gave her. "Okay look, I had to leave. Uncle John is so boring and weird. I couldn't take it anymore. And I really missed Elena and Jer." She looked at her older siblings as she said the last part.

There was the sound of the phone ringing. Everyone could guess who it was. John. Jenna sighed and answered the phone. "Hello, John. Yes she's here." Jenna walked away from everyone and went to the living room, taking the conversation with her.

Jeremy squeezed Emma's shoulder. "Hey, you hungry?" Emma nodded and they made their way to the kitchen. Elena made the move to follow but Damon stopped her by grabbing onto her arm.

"So when were you going to tell Stefan and I about your long lost sister?" he whispered harshly in her ear.

The girl sighed. "There wasn't a right moment for me to bring her up. And, it's not like I was keeping her a secret, Damon. There are tons of pictures of her around the house." She grabbed a picture frame that had the whole family in it; her parents in the middle, Elena and Jeremy on either side of them, and Emma in front of them. "See?"

Damon looked at the picture and sighed. Okay, maybe it was is fault for not noticing the pictures with the young girl in them, but why would he want to look at the pictures in the first place? He let go of her arm.

"Whatever." He walked into the kitchen with Elena behind him. Jeremy was making a sandwich and Emma was sitting on the island, swinging her legs back and forth. Damon stood a foot away from Emma and held out his hand. "Hello there, pipsqueak, my name is Damon."

So far, Emma was starting to not like him, considering that he called her 'pipsqueak'. Yes she may be small for her age but it's not like she wants someone to point it out. She slowly reached out her hand and shook his. "Hi." When they let go of each others hand, Emma looked at him weirdly. "Are you Elena's boyfriend?"

Damon smirked at the question and saw that Elena had widened her eyes. He leaned closer toward Emma. "She wishes." Elena glared at him. Damon then looked at Jeremy who finished making the sandwich. "Hey, Little-" Damon stopped himself. "Well I guess I can't use that one anymore. Jeremy, let's play some video games."

He nodded. "Sure." Jeremy handed the sandwich to his little sister. He gave a quick hug. "It's nice to have you back, Em."

"Thanks, Jer." Damon and Jeremy went to the living room as Jenna walked into the kitchen with the phone in her hands.

"So what did he say?" Elena asked, standing next to Emma. Emma slowly started to eat her sandwich, watching her aunt.

Jenna sighed. "Well, he's certainly angry to find out that you ran away. He said that he's going to come up and get-"

"No, Jenna!" Emma put down the sandwich. "Don't make me go back there. It doesn't make sense that I have to go live so far away with Uncle John. I want to live here, this is my home and my friends are here and you guys are here. I'm miserable there. Please, Jenna, don't make me go." Emma looked at Jenna with pleading eyes.

Jenna looked at Emma, trying not to break under the girl's stare. She looked at Elena, to try to have some kind of support but saw that Elena had the same pleading look too. Jenna groaned. "Fine." Emma and Elena's eyes lit up. "I'll try to convince John to let you stay."

Emma jumped down from the island and hugged Jenna with a huge smile. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She said, hugging her aunt tighter. Jenna hugged back. Emma let go of Jenna and hugged Elena. She looked in Jeremy's direction and started to make her way there with a skip in her step. "I'm going to go tell Jer!"

Jenna and Elena laughed at the girl's silliness. "I hope the conversation goes smoothly." Jenna said.

"Jer, I get to stay!" Emma said, hugging her brother from behind as he played the video on the couch with Damon.

Jeremy smiled and turned around and hugged her back but when he hugged her, he pulled her over the back of the couch and pulled her in his lap. She giggled at the action. "Awesome, it wasn't the same without you."

Emma let go of his neck and moved around so that Jeremy had his arms on either side of her so that he was able to hold the controller in front of her. "So, who's winning?" she asked, looking at the screen.

"Well, for some reason, Damon is. I thought you said you never played this before." Jeremy said, addressing his last sentence to Damon.

Without taking his eyes, Damon replied. "I'm a fast learner. Quick reflexes."

Jeremy's phone then started ringing. He paused the game, much to Damon's displeasure, and took out his phone only to press ignore on the phone and put it away.

"Who are you dodging?" Damon asked.

Jeremy sighed. "This girl named Anna. She can be, uh, persistent." he said.

Emma smiled. "Jer's got a girlfriend." she said teasingly. Jeremy just rolled his eyes and muttered a 'shut up'.

"Is she hot?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, yeah, but she can be weird."

Damon scoffed. "Hot trumps weird, trust me." Jeremy laughed a little at the comment and the two continued on playing the game with Emma watching. Though as they played, Emma noticed Damon making strange faces which made her look at him weirdly.

"Hey, Jer, I'm gonna go finish my sandwich." Jeremy nodded and quickly moved his arms so that she could get up.

Emma had just made it to the kitchen when she heard Elena say, "-about my birth parents." She stopped in her tracks and the smile she had before vanished.

"What?"

Jenna and Elena turned their heads toward the eleven year old, surprised that she heard that. "Em, -"

"Is it true?" Emma asked, looking from the two.

Jenna nodded. "Yeah, it's true."

Emma looked behind her, at Jeremy, and then at her now adoptive sister. "Does Jeremy know?"

Elena took a deep breath. "He will. When the time is right." Elena noticed that Emma was a little down. "Hey come here." She opened her arms and Emma walked into them. The two sister's hug was interrupted by the door bell. "That's Stefan." Elena patted Emma's shoulder and let go of her. Emma followed behind Elena but stopped when she was at the base of the stairs.

Damon and Elena both made it to the door. Elena opened the door and revealed a tall guy with brown hair. He looked at Elena and Damon with a weird expression.

Damon was staring at the guy with anticipation. "Well?"

The guy opened his mouth to respond when his gaze landed on Emma, surprised to see her there. "Uhh, let's talk outside."

Elena turned to her sister. "Hey, Em, how about you go to the kitchen and eat that sandwich." Emma stayed where she was before nodding and joining Jenna in the kitchen. The trio exited the house, moving their conversation to the porch.

"Who took it?" Damon asked, leading them to the side of the house.

Stefan walked right behind him. "I don't know." he replied.

"You know what?" Damon stopped and turned to face the couple. "It was that teacher. There's something really off about him."

"No he doesn't know anything. Somebody got to him right before me." Stefan said.

Damon stared at his brother. "Who else knew it was there." Stefan turned to his right and looked through the window where he saw Jeremy and Emma sitting on the couch, their focus's on the TV. Damon followed his gaze to the middle Gilbert and then made his way back to the house.

Elena was quick to stop him. "No. Damon, leave him out of it."

"Why? What's the big deal?" he responded, still walking towards the door. When he entered the door he turned his head to his brother, heading towards the direction of the young Gilberts. "Did you know Elena has a younger sister?"

Stefan nodded. "Yeah, there are pictures everywhere."

Damon rolled his eyes. "I noticed." Of course his little brother noticed. "So," he said, finally making it into the living room, Elena and Stefan stopping behind him. He sat on the arm of the couch. Jeremy still looked at the screen but Emma turned her head to his direction. "I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day."

Jeremy made a weird look. "Who else did you show it to?" Damon said.

"Huh-?"

"Don't ask questions, just spill." Damon demanded, trying to remain calm.

Jeremy looked at Damon, chuckling a little. "You're kidding me, right?"

Elena sighed. "Jer, did you tell anyone other than Mr. Saltzman about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing?" Jeremy asked, getting weirded out.

"Who else did you tell?" Elena asked back.

"Mmm. just that girl, Anna." he said.

"Your girlfriend?" Emma asked.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah." Damon seemed to have remembered too.

Stefan was confused at this. "Wait, who is Anna?"

Damon looked at his brother. "That's what I want to find out." A phone began ringing when Damon asked, "How do you know her?" Elena walked away to go answer it.

"I just know her." Jeremy said, getting a little defensive. "She wants me to meet her at The Grill tonight."

"Perfect." Damon looked back at Stefan. "I'll drive." Patting Jeremy's shoulder, Damon said. "Come on."

"Okay." Jeremy said, a little confused.

Emma stood up. "Wait, can I go?"

"Sure." Jeremy said as Damon said, "No."

Jeremy gave Damon a weird look. "Why can't she come?"

Damon tried to find words. "Well, umm-"

Stefan stepped in. "Of course she can come but Damon thought that she would want to stay home and unpack." Emma shrugged.

"I can do that later. I wanna go to see if Bonnie and Caroline are there." Emma and Jeremy both walked out of the house with Damon as Stefan went up stairs. He just made it to Elena's room when she got off her phone.

Elena looked at him. "Where's Damon?"

"He left to track down Jeremy's friend, Anna, see if there was anything there."

Elena started to get worried "Aren't you gonna go with him? If he gets to the journal before we do, then-" Stefan stopped her from talking when he pulled out a thick packet of paper.

"Doesn't matter."

"What is that?" Elena asked, looking at it.

"It's a copy of it." Stefan began to open the pages.

"How did you get it?"

Stefan smiled. "Well, Mr. Saltzman made a copy and was kind enough to loan it to me."

Elena didn't seem to buy that. "He did?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Not exactly, but," he smiled again at Elena. "I got it."

Elena breathed out a laugh at that. With the copy of the journal, Elena and Stefan will be able to find the location of the grimoire before Damon is able to find it.

"So," Stefan said, breaking Elena from her train of thought. "You have a little sister?"

Elena smiled. "Yeah. After our parents died, Emma was sent to go live with our Uncle John, much to her discomfort. She just got here tonight, apparently, she ran away."

Stefan laughed. "Wow, she must have really hated living there."

Elena laughed with him. "I don't blame her. No one really likes Uncle John. You and Emma would get along just well, though." She moved to her window seat. "Let's find the grimoire."

* * *

Damon, Jeremy, and Emma walked into The Grill, looking for Anna. Damon turned to the two. "I'm going over there." He pointed to a random direction. "Bye."

That left Jeremy and Emma standing by themselves. Then a short girl with curly hair walked in and smiled at Jeremy.

"I knew you couldn't stay away from me." Jeremy looked at her and smiled back.

"Well, I kinda miss my daily dose of cute stalker chick."

"Oh, funny." Anna looked down at Emma. "Who's this?"

Jeremy looked down at Emma and then back at Anna. "Oh this is my little sister, Emma. Emma, this is Anna." Emma did a little wave at Anna, a little shy. Jeremy pointed to the Foosball table. "Let's play."

From a distance, Damon had been watching the scene at a table. He recognized Anna, from back in 1864.

As Emma looked around, she saw Bonnie with some guy she never saw before. "Jer, can I go say hi to Bonnie?" she asked. Jeremy nodded and Emma walked over.

"Bon!" Emma said, catching the witch's attention.

"Oh my gosh, Emma!" Bonnie got up from her seat and brought the girl into a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"she asked when they pulled apart.

Emma avoided eye contact with Bonnie. "I may or may not have ran away." Bonnie's mouth fell open.

"You what?"

"I know, I know. You should have seen Jenna's reaction when she heard I was at the front door." Emma said, smiling at the memory. "But I am here to stay."

Bonnie brought the girl into another hug. "Good, I missed you so much." When they broke apart again, Ben cleared his throat. "Oh, Ben, this is Emma, Elena's little sister."

Ben had a surprised look on his face but he still got up and reached out to shake Emma's hand. "Hi, Emma."

Emma shook it. "Hi. Well I'm gonna go back to Jer. Bye Bonnie. Ben." And she left the two. When she got back to where Jeremy and Anna were, Anna was gone. "Jer," Emma leaned against the Foosball table. "where's Anna?"

Jeremy shrugged. "She said she had to go. She's be back soon." He looked from the table to Emma. "Wanna play a round before going home?" Emma smiled.

"Be prepared to loose." Jeremy laughed and the game began.

* * *

Elena and Stefan arrived to where the Salvatore's father was buried. "Why isn't you father buried in your family's tomb?" Elena said, shining the flashlight at the tombstone.

Stefan walked over to the front of the grave with a torch. "It wasn't built until well after he died."

"Are you the grimoire's in there with him?" she asked.

Stefan got up and walked over to where the shovels were. "As sure as I could be."

Elena sighed. "Great." She looked around, feeling uneasy.

"Elena." Elena looked at Stefan who was holding the shovels. "I can do this on my own."

"And I said I would do whatever I can to help." she shot back.

"I know, and I appreciate that, but-"

"This town is my home, Stefan. My friends and family are here. You're here. I don't want that tomb opened anymore than you do." Elena said, determined. Stefan stood there, letting everything she just said set. Finally he nodded and held out the shovel to her. She grabbed it, giving him a look. The two positioned themselves on either side of the grave and Stefan stared down at it. "I'm sorry that you have to do this." Elena said, clenching the shovels handle.

Stefan looked up, lost in thought, but shook his head and began digging, Elena starting after him. They continued to dig, and dig and dig. As the pile of dirt began to rise, Elena got out of the forming hole and held the flashlight down, giving Stefan more light. Elena leaned against the shovel, sighing somewhat dreamily.

Stefan stabbed the shovel to the ground, out of breath. "What?"

Elena spread her arms out. "Not many girls can say they've done this."

Stefan said nothing, looking down at her comment and resumed digging. Only to hear a 'thud'. He looked up at Elena, who had her mouth slightly opened. He used the end of the shovel to scrape away the thin layer of dirt to reveal the top of the casket. Tossing the shovel aside, Stefan got to his knees and opened to top of the casket.

"Is that it?" Elena asked, moving the light to help Stefan. Stefan opened to top all the way to expose a skeleton of Giuseppe Salvatore, hugging the grimoire close to his chest. Elena gasped when Stefan held it up. She kneeled down as Stefan began to open the book.

"Well, what do you know?"

The couple jumped when they heard a voice behind them. Elena flashed the light into the trees to find Damon standing there, holding Emma by the arm and looking very pissed. "This is an interesting turn of events."

"Emma." Elena gasped out, scared for her sister.

"Elena, help." Emma said, tears fall down her face.

Stefan got out of the hole and stood between Damon and Elena. "Let her go, Damon. I know you want it, but I'm sorry."

Damon stared at his brother. "So am I." Stefan's face fell a bit. "For think for even a second to trust you."

"Oh, you're not capable of trust." Stefan said, gaining anger. "The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself."

Damon made a face. "Of course I was going to do it by myself, because the only one I can count on is me!" he said. His grip on Emma's arm tighten, making her gasp out in pain. "You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan. But you," Damon moved his stare to Elena, who was staring at her little sister. "you had me fooled."

Elena stared at Damon, seeing his hurt expression. She tried to think of something to say, but looked down, feeling guilty.

"So what are you going to do now?" Damon demanded. "Because if you try and destroy that," Damon brought Emma closer to him. "I will rip her heart out."

Stefan shook his head. "You won't kill her."

Damon's eyebrows shot up. He pulled Emma to his chest, putting his arm around her throat. Emma struggled against his hold on her but it was no use.

"Help." she was able to get out.

"I actually can do one better." Damon lifted his arm and pulled down his sleeve and bit into his wrist. He then put his wrist up to Emma's throat, forcing her to swallow his blood. "Give me the book, Stefan. Or I'm snapping her neck and you're girlfriend will have a vampire sister." Emma's eyes widened at that and continued to struggle.

"Emma!" Elena yelled, stepping closer only to stop when Damon gave her a look that showed he really would do that to her little sister.

Stefan walked a little closer. "Let her go first."

Damon ripped his wrist off of Emma's mouth. At this point, the young girl was sobbing, beyond scared. "Drop it."

Stefan shook his head. "I'm not going to give this to you until she is standing next to us."

"Problem is, I no longer trust that you'll give it back." Damon moved his other hand to hold the side of Emma's head.

"Stefan give it to him." Elena said, crying.

"Damon, you just did the one thing that ensure's that I will." Damon stared at Stefan, but didn't let go of Emma. He nodded toward the ground, still demanding the grimoire to be handed over first. "Okay." Stefan carefully held the book out and put it on the ground.

Damon looked at Elena, seeing her teared filled face, regretting doing what he had to do. He slowly released his arm around Emma's throat. Stefan held out his hand, beckoning Emma to come to him. Emma stepped on foot away from Damon, unsure that he was going to grab her again and then burst into a run into Elena's waiting arms. The girls held each other tightly, crying hard. Stefan came up to them and guided them away, leaving Damon alone with the grimoire.

"Oh my gosh, Emma. Are you okay?" Elena asked as they walked. Emma nodded. "How did he get you?"

"He got me when I got home with Jer. One second I was going up the stairs, then next I'm in the forest with him holding my arm, watching you two." Emma said, her voice a little hoarse. She looked up to her sister. "Elena, what's going on?" she asked.

Elena looked over to Stefan, not knowing what to say. "Come on," she squeezed Emma. "let's get you home." The three continued walking until they made it to the Gilbert house. Before Jenna or Jeremy could see Emma's blood stained face, Elena rushed them up the stairs to the bathroom. Elena grabbed a toothbrush and gave it to Emma. "Here, brush your teeth."

Emma nodded and reached out with her shaky hands for the toothbrush. She grabbed it and put toothpaste on it. As she brought the brush to her teeth, she saw her reflection and a new wave of tears came. But she didn't stop, just kept brushing to get the taste of the blood out of her mouth.

Elena looked away from her sister and stood next to Stefan, who watched them. He put an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. That was just a small amount of blood. It should pass out of her system by tomorrow." Elena nodded. Stefan stared at his shoes.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, looking at him with a worried expression.

Stefan continued to rub her shoulder. "Damon was right. This is, uh, this is my fault. I put my faith in my brother but Damon put his faith in me, and I destroyed that."

Elena put her hands on his chest. "You didn't do anything wrong. Don't forget that."

Stefan nodded. "Okay." Emma came out of the bathroom dazed, with her mouth and face free from the blood. She looked up at Stefan and Elena, still shaking.

Elena walked up to her and held her face. "Are you okay?"

Emma shook her head but instantly regretted it, considering how much her head was pounding. "My head hurts." She sounded worse than before. Elena brought Emma into another hug.

"I'll get you an aspirin." Stefan said and went down stairs. Elena nodded and guided her sister to Elena's bed. They sat down with Emma sitting in between Elena's legs.

"Em," Elena said, "everything's going to okay. I'm going to make sure he doesn't hurt you again." Emma slightly nodded and silently cried into Elena's shoulder, tonight's events playing in her head. Elena gently moved them so that they were laying down, backs to the door.

Stefan made it down the stairs and walked into the kitchen where Jenna was working on the dinning table.

"You know you're not staying the night, right?" she said, twirling her pen in her hand.

Stefan leaned against the door frame. "Don't worry, Emma's with us, we're just going to hang out for a little while."

Jenna smiled. "You're lucky I like you. Keep the door open."

"You got it. Hey, do you have any aspirin?" he asked.

"Yeah." Jenna got out of her seat and went to one of the cabinets. At the same time, Jeremy entered the room.

"Oh, hey, Stefan." He said, upon seeing the said man at the door frame. Then he had a confused look on his face. "Where'd she go?"

Jenna turned from the cabinet. "She went to the bathroom."

"Where'd who go?" Stefan asked.

"He has a friend over." Jenna replied.

Jeremy looked at Stefan. "Anna."

A look of realization came on Stefan's face. He turned from his spot and ran upstairs to Elena's room. But when he got there, he saw that the room was empty, and the window open.


	2. Fool Me Once

**Okay, hey everyone! How's it going? I realized I never said anything as a greeting in the last chapter so I decided to do it here. Hello there. This is my first TVD story _but_ I have been writing this for a long time, I just post it on another website called Quotev. I just felt like posting the story on here to broaden the horizon. You know, if that makes sense.**

 **So I hope you have enjoyed the story so far since you actually continued on to the next chapter(thank you very much btw) and follow/review the story at the end.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries. I only own my OC.**

* * *

Elena began to wake up, her head pounding a bit. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around to see that she was in a motel room. She looked to her side and saw Emma sleeping in the bed next to her. She looked around but suddenly gasped when she saw someone sitting in a chair, asleep. Probably the one who took her and her sister.

Elena began to slowly get out of the bed, eyeing the guy. If she made a single noise, he would surely wake up. She reached out her hand and shook Emma's shoulder. After a few more shakes, the girl finally woke up. Emma was about to speak when Elena held her finger up to her mouth, as a 'shh' signal, and pointed to the guy. Emma's eyes widened and Elena mouthed 'It's okay' to her. The older girl guided her sister off the bed, trying not to make any noise. Elena grabbed her hand and they walked closer to the guy.

Emma followed her sisters movements and they both moved as quietly as they could over the guy's leg that was sticking out and to the door of the room. Elena brought her index and middle finger up to her eyes and pointed to the guy, telling Emma to watch them. Emma nodded and watched as Elena tried to move the chain on the door. Elena was able to get it up hooked and moved to unlock the door. Emma looked at Elena and at that split second she looked away, there was a voice behind them.

"I wouldn't." The girls turned to see the guy standing in front of them. Emma recognized him from yesterday. Ben, Bonnie's date. The guy walked up to Elena and looked into her eyes. "Don't try to escape. Don't even move. Do you understand?"

"I understand." she said in a monotone voice.

"Elena." Emma looked at her sister in disbelief. How could she suddenly do that?! What is going on? The guy smirked and walked to the dresser. Elena quickly grabbed Emma's arm and opened the door and they were almost free, but they were stopped when Anna shoved them back inside.

Anna grabbed Elena and Emma and pushed them towards the bathroom. She looked at Ben. "Seriously?" she said, gesturing to the girls.

"I told her not to move! I did that eye thing you taught me." Ben said, defending himself.

"You forgot the lesson on vervain. She dates a vampire, Ben, duh!" Anna opened the door of the bathroom. Emma and Elena tried their best to get away but it was no use, Anna held them very tightly.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Elena asked.

"Doesn't matter." Anna said, and pushed Elena and Emma inside, locking the door behind them.

It was dark inside and Emma turned the switch, the light coming on. The older girl turned and tried to take a picture off the wall but it was no use, it was glued to the wall. Emma looked around the bathroom and her gaze landed on someone passed out in the the tub. It was Bonnie. "Elena." she breathed out. Elena gasped at the sight of her best friend and went to her side, along with Emma.

"Oh, my god!" Elena shook her shoulder, but Bonnie didn't wake.

"Elena is she dead?" Emma asked, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Elena put her two fingers on Bonnie's neck, checking for a pulse. She sighed a relief when she felt soft beats. "No, she's okay. Go get that towel and get some water on it." Emma nodded, grabbed a towel off the rack, and went to the sink, getting it wet. Emma went back to Elena and she used it to dab Bonnie's forehead. At the touch of the towel, Bonnie's eyes began to open. "Bonnie."

Bonnie looked at Elena and then to Emma. "Elena, Emma?"

"You're okay." Elena smiled.

Bonnie groaned, grabbing her head. "My head."

Elena helped Bonnie sit up in the tub. "Come here."

"Oh my god, Ben is a-!" Elena shushed her.

"Shh. They can hear." Elena whispered, pointing to her ears. She got up and turned the faucet.

Bonnie continued to get up and Emma rubbed her shoulders. "Are you okay?" she asked the girl. She nodded and Elena joined them. "I'm so stupid."

"He had all of us fooled." Elena said, moving a piece of hair on her forehead.

"What's going on? Why are we here?" Bonnie said, gesturing to the three of them.

Elena sighed. "It must have something to do with the tomb and Emily's spell book." Emma was confused. A spell book? What does a spell book have anything to do with anything. It's not like magic was real in the first place.

"Spell book?" Bonnie asked.

"Damon said that it can be used to open the tomb."

"Why didn't I know about any of this?"

"I was trying to keep you out of it, hoping it would never come to this."

"Come to what?"

"They need a witch to break the spell and let the vampires out." Witches? Vampires? Emma was now beyond confused. Witches and Vampires are not real. They were a myth, only told in stories on Halloween, and at campfires.

"No way."

"I know-"

Bonnie looked at Emma quickly and then back at Elena. "El," She nodded her head towards the young girl.

Elena looked at Emma and saw the scared look on her face. And then realization came onto her. Her little sister was here. Listening to their conversation. She was probably confused, thought that the two was crazy. And then Elena realized that there were two vampires on the other side of the door, who could harm her. "Em," She reached out and put a hand on Emma's shoulder. "I know you're really confused right now, but when we get home-"

Suddenly the door opened, revealing Ben. Elena pulled Emma closer to her and she reached out for Bonnie. Ben stared at the girls and went to the faucet, turning it off.

"You're wasting your time." Bonnie said, glaring at the vampire. "I'm not going to help you."

Ben smiled and grabbed Elena and Emma by the arms. "That's why they're here. Motivation for you to behave." Emma started to have a flashback to last night when Damon was holding her. "You know," Ben leaned closer to Bonnie. "You shouldn't be so desperate. You made it too easy." He got up and dragged the two girls out of the room. "She wants to talk to you." Ben said to Elena. He shoved them out and shut the door, leaving Elena and Emma with Anna. Elena pulled Emma into a hug.

"Well, well, Elena Gilbert." The two turned to see Anna leaning against a table. "You really are Katherine's doppelganger." Anna smiled. "You must have to Salvatore boys reeling."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Anna. Your brother may have mentioned me." Anna looked at Emma. "Hey, Emma. Nice to see you again." Elena turned her body to block Emma from Anna's view. "Don't worry, we're friends. We met last night thanks to Jeremy. I mean, we're piratically dating so why not introduce his little sister?" She gestured to one of the beds. "Sit." Elena hesitated, but walked over to a bed and sat down, Emma next to her.

"Bonnie's not going to open the tomb." Elena said, gaining some confidence.

Anna walked to the window and looked out the curtain. "Oh, I think she will."

"Do you want Katherine out that bad?" Elena asked.

Anna stared at her. "Trust me. No one I know wants to see that girl again." She crossed her arms. "Except Damon, the lovestruck idiot." Her gaze went back out the window.

"If it's not this Kathrine person, then who is it?" Emma asked, surprising the older girls and herself.

Anna stood straighter at the question. "My mother's in there." She walked over, starting to get a little angry. "Kathrine couldn't help herself. She just had to toy around with both the Salvatore brothers." She put one arm on the table, using it to lean again it. "And when she got caught, so did my mother. I watched Jonathan Gilbert take her away."

Elena shook her head a little. "I'm sorry."

"You really mean that, don't you?" Elena nodded and Anna let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I think we'll skip the dead mom bonding so you two can start serving a purpose."

"As what?" Emma asked, tightening her arm around Elena's waist.

"Leverage."

"Anna, just let Emma go. It's me you want, not her. Please." Elena pleaded.

Anna shrugged. "I don't even know why she's here in the first place. The idiot in there probably thought that maybe she would add onto the leverage. Which, I guess, is a good idea. So to answer your question, no." Anna grabbed a phone that was on the table and held it out. "Is this yours?" Elena reached out to grab it, only for Anna to pull it away. "Ah, ah." She walked away and opened the phone, dialing a number.

"Elena, what's going on?" Emma whispered. Elena rubbed her back and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry, we're going to get out of here." she said.

Anna scoffed. "Yeah right." Elena glared at the vampire. The line answered.

"Elena, are you guys okay? Stefan asked.

"They're fine, for now." Anna answered. "Tell me you have the grimoire and they'll stay fine." She waited for Stefan to reply.

"I can get it."

"Which means your brother has it. And I have the witch so one of you had better meet me in the very public town square in 30 minutes so we can safely discuss how fun it's going to be to work together." Anna pulled the phone away from her ear and closed the phone. Anna went to the bathroom door and pounded on it. "I'm leaving."

The door opened to reveal Ben holding an out of it Bonnie.

"Keep them buttoned down. Compulsion won't work. Just use violence." she demanded, grabbing her bag.

"Right, got it." And Anna left. Ben threw Bonnie towards the bed Elena and Emma were not on. "Sit. Behave." He pulled off his jacket and hung it on the chair he was previously sleeping on. "So you're the key to this. Literally. The one who opens the door." He sat on the chair. "Tell me, how long have you been a witch?" he asked Bonnie."

Elena asked, "Is there anything to drink here?"

Ben got up. "Are you offering?" he said, grinning. He looked at Emma. "Maybe I should have a sip from her, she looks good." Elena threw her arm in front of her. Ben smirked. "There's water on the nightstand."

Elena turned and reached for the cup and brought it to her mouth only to stop when Bonnie said, "Hey. Can I have a sip?" Elena stared at her confused. Bonnie nodded her head a little and Elena handed the cup to Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Ben and suddenly threw the water at his arm. The witch focused on his arm and it caught on fire, making Ben gasp. The three made a run for the door while Ben tried to pat the fire away. Bonnie managed to open the door and they almost were out the door when Ben reached out and grabbed Emma.

"No! Elena! Bonnie!" she yelled. Elena and Bonnie stopped and saw the girl struggling against Ben.

"Come back in, shut the door!" Ben said, keeping a firm grip around Emma's waist.

Elena and Bonnie came back inside slowly. "Don't hurt her." Elena said, wanting her sister by her side.

"Don't make me." Ben said, staring at the two friends with an intense look. Bonnie shut the door. "Lock it." Tears formed in Bonnie's eyes as she hooked the gain. "Now sit your asses down or I'm going to drain ever last drop of blood from her body." Ben threatened. The girls nodded and made their ways back to the beds. Once they sat down, Ben sat in his chair, not letting go of Emma and pulling her into his lap.

"You said you weren't going to hurt her." Bonnie said, staring at him intensely.

Ben smiled. "I'm not, but I'm gonna have her right here just in case you have anymore ideas about escaping." He looked at Emma. "So, how does it feel to know that vampires and witches are real?" When Emma didn't say anything, he laughed. "Come on, you can talk. I won't bite." Emma eyed him. "I already had lunch." He showed his fangs and made his eyes go red and the veins appear. Emma gasped and tried to get away from him but he just held her there on his lap while he laughed.

"Stop it." Elena said, glaring at him.

Ben simply ignored her. "Witches don't have eternal life, right?" he asked Bonnie. "So you guys can die."

Bonnie looked down. "Yeah, we can die."

"Ah," Ben said, patting Emma's arm lightly. "That sucks." Suddenly the room's door was kicked open and Stefan entered the room. Ben got up, making Emma fall. Ben walked around the chair but accidentally walked into the sun light, burning him. Stefan pulled the curtains down, letting more in and Ben jumped in between the beds where there was shade.

"Stefan." Elena said, making Emma stand.

"Let's get outside." Bonnie, Emma, and Elena ran out of the room, happy to finally be free. Stefan joined them a minute later, guiding the girls away from the motel.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked.

"Bonnie's grandmother's house." Stefan replied, earning a look from Bonnie. When they made it to the house, the older witch ushered them inside.

"Sit, sit." she said, and they sat at the dinning table. The woman saw Emma and wrapped her arms around her. "Oh you poor child. Having to go through that. I'll get you some hot chocolate." Emma nodded and the witch went into the kitchen.

Elena looked at her sitting down. "Emma, are you hurt?"

"I don't know." the young Gilbert said. She lifted her sleeve and saw that there was a bruise forming from where she was always being grabbed. She looked at the table and slowly pulled it back down. "So, Bon," Emma stared at Bonnie. "you're a witch." she said with a small smile.

Bonnie returned it. "Yeah, I am."

Emma nodded and folded her hands together. She looked at her sister. "Have you been keeping a secret from me or anything?" she said, laughing a little.

Elena shook her head, laughing too. "No, no. I'm good."

Emma then looked at Stefan and became uneasy. "Uhh, are you a... you know..."

"Yeah." he said, nodding slightly. "Don't worry though," he put his hands inside his jacket pockets. "I'm nothing like my brother and the other ones. I won't hurt you." The girl stared at him before nodding. "Well, we haven't properly introduced each other." He held his hand out. "I'm Stefan."

Emma didn't do anything for a while, playing with her hands. Then, she slowly lifted her hand up and shook his hand. "Emma." When they let go of each other, Emma said, "You know, Stefan, I like you a lot more than Damon."

Stefan laughed at the comment. "Good to know." He looked at Elena. "Come with me." And the couple left the room.

Seconds later, Grams came back from the kitchen with a mug and set it in front of Emma.

"Here ya go, Em." She took a seat next to Emma, across from Bonnie.

"Thank you." Emma took a sip.

Bonnie looked at her grandmother. "How did you know where we were?"

Grams lifted her hand and rested her chin in the palm of it. "Many things fuel a witch's power. Worry. Anger. After Stefan told me that they had taken you, I had a lot of both. Simple locator spell was easy after that."

"I'm sorry." Bonnie looked down. "About all of this."

Grams smiled. "Not as sorry as they're gonna be."

Emma was already half done with her hot chocolate when she spoke. "Is it fun being a witch?" she asked, looking at both Bennett witches.

Grams put her arm around Emma's shoulders. "Dear, being a witch has it's benefits, but also it's a great responsibility to be able to control the power you have."

Emma looked at Grams in fascination. "I want to be a witch." The Bennett's laughed.

Elena and Stefan then entered the room hand in hand. "So what do we do now?"

"For now, you need to stay here." Stefan said, referring Grams and Bonnie.

Grams raised her eyebrows. "A prisoner in my own home? I don't think so."

Stefan shook his head. "I can't protect you if you leave the house."

"We'll protect ourselves." Grams said, standing her ground.

Stefan shook his head and turned around. "We need to let him have Katherine back."

"Damon?" Emma asked, gripping the mug tightly just thinking about him.

Elena nodded. "He's not going to stop until he gets her. If we help him, maybe that ends it."

Bonnie stared at Elena in disbelief. "No! He doesn't deserve to get what he wants."

Elena lifted her shoulders. "What other choice do we have? I mean he almost turned Emma. I'm not letting her get hurt again."

Grams shook her head. "Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we tried to do to stay out of it." There was a small silence before she spoke again. "I'll open the tomb. You get you brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."

"We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan injected.

"He already agreed once."

"Yeah, and then we double crossed him. So now he's angry." Stefan countered.

"He's hurt, there's a difference." Elena stared at Stefan. "I think I know what I have to do."

Stefan nodded. "Okay, let's go." Everyone got up, but Emma was stopped by Elena.

"Where do you think you're going?" she said, pointing at her.

"Going with you." Emma said, as if it were obvious.

Elena shook her head. "No, no. You're not going, okay? You are going to stay here, where it's safe, and wait for us to get back." Emma's mouth fell.

"What? But I want to go." she said.

"No, and that's final." Elena said and she left the house with Stefan. Emma sat down, looking at the mug angrily.

Bonnie came around and stood next to her. "She's right, Em. You could get hurt." The witch walked away to help Grams gather everything for the spell.

That gave Emma time to think. Back in the motel, Anna and Ben kept mentioning something about a tomb. Where in town could there be a tomb? The only logical thing that came up was the cemetery but Emma didn't remember anything about one being there. But that's what the young girl's going to have to stick with. So after Grams and Bonnie left the house to go to the tomb, Emma waited a good 5 minutes before leaving the house. Her destination; the cemetery.

* * *

Emma walked through the forest, hugging herself in the cold. She looked from side to side every time there was some sort of noise. In front of her, she heard the sounds of people talking and the light of a few fires. Must be a party. Emma kept walking when she noticed two people by themselves. Then she was able to see how it was from the glows of the fires. It was Jeremy and Anna. She went behind a tree, watching them.

It seemed like they were talking about something. And then Jeremy leaned down and kissed Anna. Emma made a face. If only he knew. Anna pulled away and Emma saw Ben come up and hit Jeremy in the head, knocking him out. This made Emma gasp. That sadly got the attention of the two vampires because of their super hearing. Emma turned to run when Ben appeared.

"Well, hello there." Ben grabbed Emma's arm and dragged her over to Anna. She tried to get free but his grip was tight. "Look who was hiding behind a tree." Ben held her in front of him, showing Anna.

Anna sighed. "She makes things worse." She walked to Emma and looked her straight in the eye. "Don't move, and don't scream." she compelled. But it didn't seem to work on Emma.

"No way. Someon-" Emma tried to call for help but Anna slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Damn it. We can't leave her here, she'll draw attention." Anna looked down at Jeremy and then at Ben. "We'll take her with us. Come on." Ben nodded and they began walking in some direction. Emma continued to struggle.

"Stop it." Ben hissed, gripping her arm harder. Emma cried out it pain, from both his grip and the bruise on her arm. Suddenly, she appeared with Ben in front of an entrance, Jeremy on the floor. Anna grabbed her.

"You're coming with me." And the two disappeared behind a tree.

From where Emma was hiding, she saw Stefan come out of the entrance, bending down to get something. "Dark down there?" Ben called out.

Stefan looked up and saw him, but mostly had his focus on Jeremy. He moved his gaze to Ben. "I thought I told you to leave."

Ben shrugged. "I considered it. Then thought, screw you."

"Hey, hero." Stefan whipped around to where Anna and Emma were standing. Anna was still holding her. "I'm going down there to get my mother."

Stefan stared at Emma. He slowly began to walk towards her. "I can't let you do that."

"Well, Ben's about to make a main course out of Elena's little brother," Stefan looked back to see Ben picking up Jeremy, bringing his neck to his mouth.

Stefan turned back to Anna. "What about her." He pointed at Emma.

"Her?" Anna patted Emma's head. "Oh she's going to be my mother's snack." She stared at Stefan. "So you can stop me or him. Your choice." Stefan looked back at Ben but when he turned to where Anna and Emma were, they were gone.

"Let go of me!" Emma said.

"Shut up." Anna said, going down the stairs. The two made it into some sort of room that was lit up by torches. In there stood Bonnie and Grams. Bonnie stood in front of the entrance when she saw Emma in Anna's grasp.

"Hey, you're not going in there, especially not with her." Bonnie said.

Anna glared at Bonnie. "You think you can stop me?" she threatened.

Grams looked at her granddaughter. "Bonnie..."

"Grams!" Bonnie turned to her in disbelief. Grams just shook her head again, and Bonnie stepped away, leaving a path for Anna and Emma. Anna, pulling Emma with her, grabbed a flashlight that was on the floor and entered the tomb with the young Gilbert.

"Please." Emma whispered when they were walking in the dark tomb.

"I said shut up."Anna said, flashing the light around. As they walked, Emma heard soft noises echoing off the walls. "They sense you." Anna said. That only made Emma more scared. They continued walking, Anna looking around. Then, they came across Elena by herself. "You must have a taste for it." Anna said, scaring the girl.

Elena shone the light at the two, gasping when she saw Emma. "Em!"

"You scream and shriek and even bother to escape, but then you just come right back to it." Anna proceed to walk closer to Elena and she took steps back but that made her bump into one of the vampires on the ground. When Elena's light flashed onto it, Anna immediately went to it's side, still holding Emma. "Mother!" she breathed out. Anna looked angrily at Elena. "You're boyfriend did this, you know."

"His father did." Elena said, defending Stefan.

"And Johnathan Gilbert." Anna stood up and faced Elena, bringing Emma closer. "Made a choice a long time ago that it would be Gilbert blood that brought her back to life. I had Jeremy all ready to go but..." Anna held Emma's wrist in front of her. "little Emma here will work just fine." Anna opened her mouth, showing her fangs and dug them into Emma's wrist.

Emma screamed and tried to get away. "No!" Elena tried to get to Emma but Anna pushed her against a wall. Anna made Emma kneel and raised her wrist up to Anna's mother. The old vampire began drinking the blood, getting stronger.

Emma screamed again and Stefan came running in. "Let her go." He tossed Anna to the side and grabbed Emma, lifting her off the floor. "Go with Elena, I'll be right behind you." He said, watching Elena hug Emma and leave the tomb.

The girls ran as fast as they could out of the tomb, not daring to look back. Once they were out, they saw Grams and Bonnie with the grimoire. "Elena..." Bonnie began.

"He's right behind us." Elena said, turning around with Emma to the entrance of the tomb to see Stefan standing there but not coming out.

"Stefan, what are you doing?" Emma asked, holding her bleeding wrist.

"It's going to be okay. We'll fix it." Bonnie said, looking in the grimoire again.

Elena turned to the witches. "What is it?"

Stefan sighed. "I can't."

"Can't, can't what?" Elena asked, getting more worried.

"The spell's still up, we can't get them out." Bonnie said. "Yet."

Elena looked at Stefan. "So you went in there not knowing if you could come back out?" Stefan looked down and didn't say anything, confirming Elena's thoughts. "Oh, my god."

"Elena," Emma said, tears falling from her eyes. "I'm sorry. If I never came, Anna wouldn't have gotten me and Stefan wouldn't be in there. I'm sorry. Stefan, I'm sorry." She apologized, feeling very guilty.

Stefan shook his head. "It's not your fault, Emma. Even if you didn't come, it could have been Elena instead of you."

"We can't just leave him in there. We promised him." Elena said, referring to Damon and the promise she made to him back at the boarding house.

"I know." Stefan went back inside

"Even if we get the seal down, we won't be able to hold it for long," Grams called out. Nevertheless, Bonnie and Grams began chanting the spell, hand in hand.

Elena was pacing back and forth, watching the door and Emma was sitting against the wall. "I think it's working!" Emma said, seeing movement. But it was Anna and her mother that came through the door.

"I just wanted my mother." she said, guiding her mom and herself away.

The Bennett witches continued chant, the torches inflaming even more. But Bonnie felt weak, almost falling to the ground. "Keep goin." Grams said, catching her granddaughter. She looked at Elena. "You better hurry."

Elena looked at one of the torches that went out and ran inside the tomb. Emma stood up and looked inside, seeing the girl disappear in the darkness. The chanting kept going and Bonnie was getting weaker. But just as she was about to give up, Damon came through the door with Elena and Stefan behind him. The door slammed shut.

Emma ran up to the couple and hugged them both. "Oh, I'm glad you're okay." she said. Stefan and Elena wrapped their arms around Emma, bringing her closer to them. Emma suddenly pulled apart. "Jer," Then she ran up the stairs and to where Jeremy was on the floor. He seemed to have been waking up.

"He's okay." Stefan said when Elena and him went to his side.

Emma let out a sigh of relief. She looked up to where Damon was, who was standing there, dazed. "What happened?" she asked, standing up.

Elena looked behind her and then back at Emma. "Kathrine wasn't in there."

Emma stared at Damon, suddenly feeling sorry for him. She walked over to the vampire and he gave her a weird look when he saw her. "What?" he said, glaring. Emma said nothing and hugged Damon, surprising everyone.

"I'm sorry." she whispered. The girl pulled away and walked to Elena. Elena wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leading her away from the tomb, mumbling, 'come on.'

Soon the Gilbert siblings made it to their home, Jeremy sitting on his bed holding his head. Emma rubbed his back as Elena went to the to get aspirin and water. "How's your head?" Elena asked, handing the stuff to him.

"Ah it's alright. I just, wish I knew how I passed out. I didn't drink that much, I swear." he said, taking the items.

"And you don't remember anything?" Emma asked, looking at Elena quickly.

Jeremy shook his head. "The whole thing is pretty cloudy. I know how this looks, I'm sorry."

"No, you have nothing to be sorry about." Elena said. "I have to go to Bonnie's, but is there anything you need?" she asked her brother.

"Nah, I'm just going to rest." Emma and Elena nodded and left his room, letting have time alone.

The girls walked up to a closed door that no one entered for a while. Emma grabbed the door handle and opened it, revealing the little girl's room. They walked inside, looking around. Emma saw one of the pictures that was on her nightstand, a picture of her and her parents.

"Hey, Em, are you okay?" Elena said, taking a seat on her bed.

Emma shrugged. "I guess." She took a seat next to her sister.

Elena grabbed her sisters arm and ran her fingers over her bandaged wrist. "You know, there's a way for you to forget all of this." Elena said, not looking up.

Emma looked up. "There is?" she asked.

The older sister nodded. "Yeah, and by forgetting you don't have to worry about the whole vampire stuff."

The young Gilbert thought about this. If she were to forget, then she wouldn't worry about looking behind her for evil vampires. But then again, she wouldn't know who to call for, or what to do. Emma shook her head. "No, I don't want to." Elena looked at her surprised. "I think I would be in more dangerous not knowing things."

Elena nodded and kissed her forehead. "Okay, if that's what you want." She stood up and went to the door. "I'm going to Bonnie's. I'll be back later." And she was gone.

Emma went to her dresser and changed out of her blood stain clothes and into comfortable pajamas. She went back into her bed and pulled the covers close to her, just under the chin. She turned her lamp off, but kept the door opened, scared of what could be in the dark. The girl closed her eyes and tried to get everything that happened today out of her


	3. A Few Good Men

Emma was sitting on the counter in the kitchen eating a granola bar, thinking about the conversation she and Elena had two nights ago, her sister telling her everything. And by everything, every piece of information about what had been going on. From Stefan and Damon being vampires to everything about vervain to Elena being Kathrine's doppelganger. Obviously, Emma was shocked to find out that there was a vampire out there that had the same face as her sister. If it was Emma in Elena's position, she would be freaking out knowing there was someone out there walking around her face.

Emma shivered at thought. Then she heard Elena and Jenna enter the house. "Hey." she said when they were inside the kitchen.

"Hi, Em." Elena said, going over to give Emma a side hug, which the girl leaned into.

Jenna walked to the dinning table and opened her laptop. "What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"Well," Jenna began. "Elena asked me to 'dig' stuff up about her adoption, so," Jenna quickly typed on the laptop. "I found this."

Emma and Elena went over after Emma threw away the wrapper of the bar. "What?" Elena asked.

"Your dad kept everything from his medical practice; records, logs, old appointment books." Jenna pulled out a book from her bag and opened it to a page. "I found an entry from the night you," She looked at Elena. "were born." The two girl's eyes widened as they both leaned over their aunt's shoulder to look at the book. "Patient and a date." Jenna said, pointing to the entry.

Elena looked at Jenna. "Do you think that's her real name?"

Jenna shrugged. "Probably not. First name, maybe. But where'd she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend? So I binged it." Jenna pulled up a window.

"I would have used Google." Emma said, making the others roll their eyes.

"Anyways, I searched for all the Peterson's in this area. " Jenna types in the search engine the name. "Born in the same year as Isobel. Found 3; 2 men and a woman, Trudie, who lived in Grove Hill, Virginia."

"That's not far from here." Emma said. Jenna nodded.

"Well, watch this." Jenna typed again and brought up a picture of a website. In the picture, there was a shot of two girls wearing cheerleading outfits, arms around each other. The caption underneath it read 'Trudie Peterson and Isobel Flemming'.

Elena smiled. "Isobel." she breathed out. "She was a cheerleader." Jenna and Emma laughed at her comment.

"Like mother, like daughter." Emma said back.

Jenna grabbed a sticky note at the side. "Trudie still lives there. This is her address." She handed it to Elena.

"What about Isobel? Where's she?" Emma asked, reading the address on the note.

Jenna looked like she didn't know what to say. "I. . . couldn't find anything about her." Jenna said. Elena nodded and took a seat next to Jenna, looking at the girl's father's book. "Listen. There's something else." Jenna leaned in closer. "Mr. Saltzmen, Rick, his wife was from around here, and her name was also Isobel."

"Whoa." Emma said, looking at Elena's reaction. "But wait," Emma turned back to Jenna. "What do you mean, 'was'?"

Jenna looked from Emma to Elena. "She died."

Elena was speechless and so was her sister. Finally, Emma's big sister was able find something about her birth mother only to hear that she is no longer alive.

"I'm uh, going to go upstairs." Elena said, leaving the kitchen with her jacket and sticky note.

Emma followed right behind her. "Elena," she said when she entered her sister's room. But Elena didn't hear her, she only took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Stefan, can you come over?" she said into the receiver. Emma sat on Elena's bed and Elena stood at her dresser, putting stuff away. They sat in silence and not long, Stefan appeared in the room.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The vampire looked at the two girls.

Without turning around, Elena answered him. "Jenna did some research about my birth mom and found that Rick's wife had same name as her and lived around here."

Stefan had a confused look. "Alaric's wife might have been your mother?"

Elena sighed. "It can't true, right?" she said, "I mean, the coincidence alone is just crazy."

"There is a way for Elena to find out if it's true or not." Emma said, the couple looking at her. Emma nodded her head to the sticky note Elena held. "Jenna gave her the address to Isobel's old friend, Trudie."

Stefan raised his eyebrows at Elena. "You wanna talk to her." he stated.

Elena shrugged and went to hang her jacket. "I don't know. If it's true and they are the same person, that means that my birth is dead. And I don't know if I could handle that." She looked down at her hands.

"Elena," Stefan said. "Did Jenna tell you anything about Alaric's wife? How she died?" He walked closer to Elena.

"Not really." Elena shook her head.

 _That's weird question_ , Emma thought. "Stefan, do you know something?"

Elena looked at Emma and then to Stefan, urging him to answer the question. He sighed. "The night at the school when he attacked me, he told me some things about her death."

"Well-" But Stefan interrupted her.

"No, no. It's not possible." He grabbed her hands. "The coincidence is. . . it's too much. Now, listen, if you do decide to talk to Isobel's friend, I'll go with you. Okay?" He said.

Elena nodded. "I just don't know what I'm gonna do yet." Stefan hugged her, making Emma smile. It seems that through what's going on and everything, Stefan is always there to make Elena happy.

"I should get going. I need to deal with Damon." Stefan said, breaking apart from the hug.

Emma perked up at the statement. "How's he doing?" she asked.

Stefan turned to her. "He's dealing in his own way." He kissed Elena quickly on the lips. "Bye." And he disappeared.

After he was gone, Emma looked at Elena. "Hey, Elena." she said, getting the attention of the older girl. "Can I come? When you go?" she asked.

Elena stared at her, not sure how to answer. "I don't know. . ."

"Please, Elena. I want to come. For you." Emma said, looking at her sister with hopeful eyes.

Elena sighed. "Okay."

* * *

"So this is the house?" Emma asked, standing next to Elena. They were standing in front of the supposed home of Trudie Peterson. It was in a remote area, not many houses nearby to have close neighbors.

Elena looked down at the sticky note again and then at the house. "Yeah, same address on the note. Let's go." They walked up the steps of the porch and stood at the door. Elena raised her hand to knock but quickly put her hand down.

"Elena." Emma said, putting a hand on the older girl's shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to do this if you don't want to." she said.

Elena nodded, put on an determined face, and turned to the door and knocked. For a while, no one answered the door. But finally, the door opened to reveal a woman with blonde hair.

"Trudie? Trudie Peterson?" Emma asked the woman. She nodded and Emma looked at Elena, moving her eyes toward Trudie.

Elena looked at Trudie. "Uh my name is Elena Gilbert and this is my little sister, Emma. I wanted to talk to you about Isobel Flemming."

Trudie smiled. "Well, I haven't heard that name in years. How do you know her?" she asked.

Elena hesitated before answering. "I think that, um, well. . . Do you know if she had a baby that she gave up for adoption?"

Trudie slightly gasped. "My god. You're her daughter." she realized. Then she let a breathless laugh. "I was just gonna make some tea. Would you two like some?"

Emma and Elena smiled. "Sure." Emma said.

"This kitchen's this way." Trudie said, watching the base of the door as the two entered the house. Emma noticed that for some reason, the woman seemed slightly nervous.

The girls went into the dinning room as Trudie went to set up the tea.

"You know, I wasn't gonna come, I didn't think I was. But then last second I decided to come and I brought my sister as kinda the person to make me not chicken out. I'm sorry for just barging in like this." Elena said when Trudie came back, taking her jacket off at the same time.

Trudie shook her head. "It's no problem. Please, sit." The three of them took seats at the table. "This is just a surprise, though. I haven't thought about Isobel in years."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Elena asked.

Trudie though for a moment. "About 17 years ago."

"When she was gonna have Elena?" Emma asked.

Trudie nodded. "We kept in touch for a while, but, well, you know people drift apart."

"And you don't know where she ended up?" Elena urged.

"She was in Florida for a while. She was on her own. I know it wasn't easy."

Elena was silent for some time, thinking about her next question. "Do you have any idea who my father is?"

Trudie frowned at the question. "I could never get her to fess up. Anyway, she finally pulled it together, and got into college on a scholarship."

"Where'd she go?" Emma asked.

"Somewhere in North Carolina. Duke I think. Smart girl, smart school." The three exchanged smiles after hearing that. Then the kettle began to whistle in the kitchen. "Let me get that."

After Trudie left the room, Emma turned to her sister. "Well, it's going great so far." she said.

Elena nodded, a smile still on her face. "Yeah. It's nice to know more about her. I can finally have some questions answered."

"Well, that's good." Emma said as Trudie entered the room with the cups and also a blue book.

"While I was getting the tea, I remembered that I had a yearbook of our last year of high school." She opened the book to a page that had the same picture Emma and Elena saw on the internet. "Ah. They came to the game for us. The football team hadn't won in years. We were the stars. Well, Izzie was. But I was a damn good back up." Trudie joked with a smile.

"This is great. Thank you." Elena said, still looking at the yearbook with Emma.

"You're welcome." Trudie glanced at the cups. "Neither of you haven't touched your tea."

"Oh, yeah." Emma said. The girls reached out and grabbed their cups. But when Emma tasted the tea, it had a weird taste to it. "Excuse me, but what is this?" Emma asked,

"Oh, it's just some herbal mixture." Trudie replied, not looking the girls in the eyes.

Elena frowned and smelled the tea. "Vervain?" she asked, remembering the familiar herb. Trudie didn't say anything. "You know." Elena said, making Emma confused.

"Know what?" Trudie asked, playing dumb.

"You didn't invite us in, and you're serving vervain tea. You know." Elena said. Emma surprised. How could she know?

Trudie stood up. "I think that you two should probably leave."

"Wait, what are you not telling us?" Emma asked, setting her cup down.

"Please leave. Now!" Trudie demanded. Emma and Elena got out of their seats and left the house. As they went to the car, they noticed a man in the street behind them, which made them get in the car faster. Elena started the car as quickly and drove off.

"Elena, what was that about?" Emma asked, looking behind them to see if that man was following them.

Elena sighed. "I don't know but I intend to find out." Elena drove toward the direction of a house that seem isolated with all the trees around it.

"Whoa." Emma said she saw how big it looked.. Elena parked the car in the driveway and turned it off. "What is this place?" Emma asked, getting out of the car with Elena.

"This is Stefan's house." Elena informed. The two entered the house. "I'm going to go find Stefan, okay? Stay here." Elena said and went upstairs.

Emma walked around and went into the library. She ran her hand across the books and saw a copy of 'The Great Gatsby'. She pulled it out and opened it to see that it had pen markings on the first page. It said:

 _Stefan,_

 _Thank you so much for purchasing the first copy of my book . I really hope you enjoy it._

 _F. Scott Fitzgerald_

Emma smiled at that. Of course Stefan would have a copy of the book signed by the actual author. If this was signed when the book first came out, then it had to be before Stefan came back to Mystic Falls. And for some reason, Emma started to think about how many times Stefan came back to the small town throughout his time as a vampire. Then she started the think even more; how old was Stefan? Her thoughts were interrupted when there was a voice behind her.

"You can borrow that if you want." She jumped and turned around to see said vampire standing at the door frame of the library.

"Oh, it's you." She lifted the book. "This? Thanks. I never got to read it."

"No problem." Stefan said with a smile. "So, whatcha doing here?" he asked, walking in with his hands in his pockets.

Emma put the book down on a table. "Well, Elena was looking for you. She went upstairs to your room." she replied.

Stefan nodded. "Okay, let's go." The two made their way up the stairs and into his room. They both saw Elena and Damon standing fairly close to each other. Elena made eye contact with them.

"Emma. Stefan." Elena walked to Stefan. "There you are." Stefan smiled at her when she stood in front of him. He looked behind her and stared at Damon who picked up his jacket.

"Uhh, I need to get a bigger jacket." he said as he struggled to put it on. "You know. An occasional sorority girl might, um, you know, help fill you out a little bit." Emma scrunched up her nose in disgust at the comment, making Stefan smile. "Oh don't act like that, munchkin, you never know." Damon made his way towards the door but stopped next to her. "You might enjoy it one day." He smirked when Emma widened her eyes and he left the room.

"He's fine." Elena said, staring at the direction the Salvatore left in.

"He's Damon." Emma said, crossing her arms, getting mad at herself for letting his pointless jokes get to her.

Elena shook her head. "Maybe this heart break will be good for him. It'll remind him that he has a heart, even if it doesn't beat."

Stefan simply shrugged. "Won't hold my breath."

Elena smiled lightly but then it quickly dropped. "Emma and I went to see Trudie Peterson." Stefan's smile fell as well. "I know. I'm sorry. We didn't plan it."

Stefan nodded slightly. "How was it?" he asked, looking at the girls.

"She had vervain." Emma said, remembering the tea Trudie gave them.

"She knows about vampire stuff, Stefan, and it can't be a coincidence." Elena said.

Stefan crossed his arms. "It isn't. This is Alaric's wife." he simply said, taking out a photo. He unfolded the picture and handed it to Elena and the girls looked at it. It was a picture of Isobel Flemming.

"That's her. This is Isobel." Emma said, pointing the Isobel's face. "Alaric gave this to you?"

He nodded. "Everything he knows about vampires, he learned from her. He believes that she was killed by one."

Elena widened her eyes. "Oh, my god."

"Listen, Elena, there's a lot about Isobel that Alaric can tell you, but I need you to hold off a little while before you talk to him."

"Why?" the older Gilbert asked, confused by the request.

"I know that it's a lot to ask of you, but will you do that for me?"

It took a while for Elena to nod. "Okay. I'm going to go home and get ready for the fundraiser. Let's go, Emma." she said, walking out of the room.

Emma nodded and followed her. "Bye, Stefan." she said, waving before she disappeared from his sight.

* * *

Elena and Emma walked into The Grill to see that it was crowded with many woman. "I had no idea there were this many single woman in town besides Aunt Jenna." the younger Gilbert said.

Elena laughed. "Tell me about it." The two girls walked a little before they heard Caroline.

"OMG, Emma?!" Caroline said, shocked to see the girl.

"Oh no." Emma muttered, making Elena laugh again. It's not that Emma didn't like Caroline, it's just that there were times that Caroline could be. . . a little too much for the girl. They went to the stand where Caroline was and Emma was tackled in a hug. "Hi, Caroline."

"I missed you so much! When did you get back?" The blonde asked, breaking away.

"A couple of days ago." When she saw Caroline's hurt expression, she quickly added, "I haven't really left the house. I was busy unpacking my bag and enjoying being home again."

Caroline smiled and hugged the girl again. "Well, I'm happy you're back." Matt Donovan came to the table with a tub and a towel over his shoulder. "Matt." she said, letting go of the girl and giving Matt a kiss on the cheek.

Emma was shocked to see this. "Whoa, when did this happen?" she asked, pointing between the two.

Caroline giggled and Matt smiled. "Not that long ago." he said.

"Well, I'm happy for you two." Emma said, smiling.

"Thanks, Em. I'm happy that I have such a cute boyfriend, and trust me, I'm not the only one that thinks this. He's been hit on, like, 35 times. He's total cougar bait."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "Impressive."

Matt shook his head. "More like embarrassing." They all laughed at the comment. Then Matt's mom, Kelly, came up to the quartet.

"Hi, Mrs. Donovan." Caroline greeted.

Kelly ignored Caroline's greeting, pretending she wasn't even there. Caroline looked down at the woman's actions and Emma notice and quickly felt bad for her. Kelly turned to the Gilbert girls. "Elena, honey." They hugged.

"Hi Kelly." Elena said, smiling at the woman. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, same old." Kelly looked at Emma. "Well if it isn't the youngest Gilbert. Come here and give me a hug." She held her arms out and Emma reluctantly hugged her.

"Hi."

"Emma, how's your Uncle John?" Kelly asked when they pulled away.

Emma shrugged. "He's okay."

Kelly nodded. "That's good. Now Elena, Matty tells me you broke his heart." she playfully accused.

"Mom." Matt quickly interjected.

"Just kidding. Calm down." Kelly said, giving her son a look. "He found his rebound girl." She glanced at Caroline. Emma's eyes widened at what the woman said and had to stop herself from saying anything. "Oh. Here you go, sweetheart. However many that'll buy." She gave Caroline the money, who took it with a sad smile. "I just hope I don't get Bachelor 3. I dated him in high school. Not impressive." Kelly lowered her voice. "In any way." Matt shook his head at his mother's words, clearly embarrassed by her. Caroline handed her the tickets. "Very exciting." She grinned before walking off.

Emma shook her head, still weirded out by Kelly's previous statement. She looked around when she and a man made eye contact for a few seconds before he turned away. She nudged Elena's arm with her elbow. "Elena, is that Alaric?" Elena looked over to see that he had walked away.

"Yeah, it is." Elena looked and saw Jenna sitting at a table. "Let's go to Jenna." After saying a quick 'bye' to Matt and Caroline, the sisters went to the table and sat down, waiting for the bachelor auction to start.

* * *

"And what do you do, Bachelor number 3?" Carol Lockwood said, holding a microphone up to a mans mouth. When Emma and Elena took their seats at the table with Jenna, the auction began.

"Yeah, I'm a plumber." he grunted.

"Well, isn't that wonderful? We could always use more plumbers. Moving on." Carol walked to the next Bachelor, who happened to be Alaric. "Number 4, Alaric Saltzman." Emma nudged Jenna, smiling playfully at her. "Wow. That's quite a mouthful. What do you do Alaric?"

"I'm a teacher at Mystic Falls High." he spoke.

Carol lifted her eyebrows. "Oh, beauty and brains, ladies. This one's a keeper. What do you teach?" she asked.

"History."

"Oh, well, give us a fun fact about Mystic Falls, something crazy."

Alaric snuck a glance at Damon. The vampire held his hand up to his ear, sarcastically anticipating an answer.

"Uh, well. . ." Alaric said awkwardly.

Carol brought the microphone back to her. "He's probably saving the best stories for his date. And last, but not least, Damon Salvatore. We don't have much on you."

Emma looked over to Elena to see that she was waving at Stefan, who was in the crowd of people. "Well, I'm tough to fit on a card." Damon said, smirking.

"Do you have any hobbies, like to travel?" Carol asked.

"Oh, yeah. L.A., New York. Couple of years ago, I was in North Carolina, near the Duke campus, actually." Emma's eyes widened when she heard this. Did he say Duke? she thought. "I think- I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you, Rick?" Damon asked, looking at Alaric. "Yeah, 'cause I-I know your wife did." Emma turned to Elena to see that she was frozen. "I had a drink with her once. She was a great girl. I ever told you that? 'Cause she was delicious."

Emma put a hand on Elena's arm when she saw that tears were forming in her eyes. Jenna leaned over. "Are you okay?" she asked, upon seeing Elena's state.

"I just need some air." Elena said, getting up from her seat. Emma got up too and followed her sister out of The Grill.

Elena paced around when they got outside. "Oh my god, Emma. Oh my god." she said. Stefan stepped out of The Grill and went over to the girls. "He killed her? Damon was the vampire that killed her?" Elena said bluntly.

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know what happened. Alaric said that they never found the body."

"Oh my god, Stefan." Elena said. Emma came over and wrapped her arms around Elena's shoulders, trying to sooth her.

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I just- I wanted to know more."

Elena threw an arm up. "I was feeling sorry for him, hoping that this whole Katherine thing would change him." Elena said.

"We were so stupid." Emma said in a guilty tone.

"He doesn't know about the connection to you. I thought about confronting him, but he's already so on edge." Stefan explained.

Emma shook her head. "Stefan, why are you protecting him? He killed Elena's mother. How can he ever be forgiven for that?" she said, annoyed.

Stefan sighed. "Because you two are not the only ones hoping that he might actually change."

Elena said nothing, only shaking her head. When she looked over Stefan's shoulder, she had to do a double take. Emma also looked over and saw that it was the man that stood in the middle of the road from earlier. "That man." Elena muttered. Stefan turned around to see the man watching them.

"We saw that man outside of Trudie's." Emma said.

"Get back inside. Come on." Stefan ushered the girls back inside The Grill.

When they got back inside, Elena went into the bathroom, leaving Emma and Stefan alone. "Do you think he'll ever change?" the girl asked, staring at her shoes.

Stefan shrugged. "I want to believe he will, but at the same time, he's Damon. We'll never know if he can change."

Emma nodded. "I just hope he will, for Elena's sake." Stefan looking at Emma, admiring her worriedness for her older sister. It kind of reminded him of himself, the way his is with Damon. Emma looked up and gasped. "Oh no." she said. Stefan followed her gaze to see Elena and Damon and Elena did not look happy.

"Let's go." he said, grabbing onto the girl's elbow, guiding her to the duo.

". . . just when I thought that there was something redeemable of you." Elena said with disgust.

"Elena." Emma said, shaking her head at her sister.

Damon turned around and saw his brother and the young girl. He was instantly confused. "Am I missing something here?"

Elena went straight to the point. "Did I forget to mention earlier when we were talking about my birth mother. The one that gave me up?" Damon stared at her with a lazy smile. "Her name was Isobel." The smile vanished. "Go ahead. Reminisce about how you killed her." Elena glared at him before pushing past him, leaving the restaurant again.

Emma wasted no time to go after her. Once she was outside, she stood next to Elena. "El, let's just go home." Stefan came out as well then stepped in front of the two girls protectively when the three saw the same man from before.

"I have a message for you." he stated.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Who are you?" Stefan inquired.

"Stop looking." The man ignored Stefan's question.

"Stop looking for what?" Elena asked.

"She doesn't want to know you. She doesn't want to talk to you." The man replied.

Emma's eyes widened. "Isobel?" Elena breathed out.

"You need to stop looking. Do you understand?"

"She's alive? Does that mean she's a-" Elena stepped forward but was stopped by Stefan.

"Elena, he's under compulsion." Stefan informed.

"Do you understand." The man repeated.

Elena nodded. "Yes. I do."

The man nodded. "Good." The man looked down the street. "I'm down now." He then stepped into the street, where a truck came out of nowhere and ran him over.

Emma gasped and hugged Elena, staring at the strangers unmoving body in the road. The three went out into the street and Stefan examined the body. People around them were screaming. Emma looked at the floor and noticed a cellphone, probably fell out of the man's pocket when he got hit. She picked it up and quickly put it in her pocket when Stefan stood up and pushed the two girls back. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

* * *

Emma walked into her sister's room to see her holding a picture of their parents. "Hey Elena." she said, the older girls looking up at her. "Are you okay?" Emma sat next to Elena on her bed, resting her head on Elena's shoulder. She felt Elena's shoulder move.

"I don't know. I'm just so confused. Like why Isobel doesn't want to see me or talk to me. And why she gave me up for adoption. I just-"

"Elena, calm down," Emma lifted her head and looked at her older sister. "It's going to be alright. You'll get your answers."

"How?" Elena said, putting the picture frame down in her lap.

Emma reached into her pocket. "Well, I don't know if this would help but," She pulled out the phone she found on the floor. "I found this by the guys. . . body. Maybe, since he was compelled, he kept in contact with her." Emma handed the phone to Elena, who opened it and scrolled through the phone.

Elena pressed a button and held the phone to her ear, leaning into Emma a little so that she could hear the conversation. After a few more rings, someone picked up. "Was there a problem?" The sisters widened their eyes and didn't say anything. "Did you find her? What's going on?"

"Isobel?" Elena slowly said.

The line went dead. Elena closed the phone and looked at Emma, tears falling out of her eyes. Emma wrapped her arms around Elena, bringing her into a hug.


	4. Let the Right One In

**Okay, just to let you know, I skipped an episode because there was no way Emma could be inputted into it. Just to let you know what happened in that episode, Jeremy found out that Anna was a vampire, Elena, Stefan, Matt, and Caroline had a double date which didn't really go that great and then Damon and Matt's mom made out. Pretty much it. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Emma shook in her bed as thunder boomed into the night. The young girl never liked storms growing up. Bad things always happened during storms like this. When she was 6, her gold fish died. When she was 8, her Labrador Retriever escaped and died when it got hit by car that lost control due to the wet road. When she was 9, she was going down the stairs at school when she slipped on water and fell down. Emma ended up having a broken leg and scaring the living crap out of her parents. When she was 12, she found out in the morning that the night before, her parents were gone. Nothing good ever happened during storms.

Thunder boomed again and Emma shook again. Getting up from her bed, she hugged herself with her arms and went to her older sister's room. Slowly entering it, she made her way over to the bedside. "Elena." she whispered, lightly poking Elena.

Elena groaned and opened her eyes. "Em?" she said, sitting up. "What's wrong?"

Emma looked down at her feet, feeling embarrassed. "Can I sleep with you? I can't sleep."

Elena let out a light chuckle. "Of course. Come on." But as she lifted up the covers, the window blew open, scaring them. Elena quickly got up and closed it. She sighed. "Hold on, I'm gonna talk to Jer." Elena left the room and came back. "Okay, come on." The girls laid down, Elena having her arms wrapped around Emma. "Are you sure you're okay?" Elena asked, rubbing Emma's arm.

Emma shrugged. "I guess. It's just, the thunder, reminds me of what happened. With Mom and Dad." she said. "You know, it's weird being back. Every morning, when I wake up, I always expect to see Mom in the kitchen making breakfast and Dad sitting at the table, reading the paper and drinking coffee out of the cup I made him for Father's Day a long time ago. I- I just." Emma sighed. "I can't come to the conclusion that they aren't coming back."

The older Gilbert frowned. It pained her to know that her sister was hurting and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "I know it's difficult, but we'll get through this together. Okay?" Elena said. Emma nodded and Elena brought the covers closer the their bodies. "Let's go to sleep. We're going to Stefan's house tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night." Damon said, hammering a nail to the piece of wood that was covering the broken window. The girls woke up early that morning and went to the Salvatore's house, only to find out that they were attacked.

"Yeah. And then what? We turn to the rest of that house of vampires and say, 'Oops, sorry?'" Stefan said, arms crossed.

Elena looked at Damon with disappointment. "I can't believe you made a deal with her."

Damon walked by the two girls. "It was more like a helpful exchange of information. And it was not like I had a choice. She's. . . scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back."

Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process." she said, remembering when he almost turned her into a vampire to get the grimoire.

"Calm down, pipsqueak. No need to be snarky about it." Damon said, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"She has every right to be snarky, Damon. We woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb." Elena defended.

Damon sighed, playing with the hammer. "How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?" he asked.

Elena crossed her arms and took a step towards the vampire. "I'm not blaming you, Damon. I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Ouch."

Stefan put an arm around Elena, making her calm down a little. "This isn't being very productive. We're gonna figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires. Yeah?" he said, looking at Damon on the last part.

Damon just got up from his seat, with a simple 'mmh' and left the room. Emma wasn't done with him yet so she followed him into the kitchen. "Why do you always have to be a jerk?" she asked, crossing her arms.

The vampire turned around and glared at her. "Excuse me?"

"This is important. Those vampires that escaped from the tomb are most likely really angry and are probably going to do something really bad to the town. And here you are, only caring about to be reunited with Katherine." she said, glaring back at him.

Damon blurred right in front of her and she instantly regretted getting him mad. "What I want is my business and," He jabbed a finger at her. "I don't have to take this from a preschooler, okay?"

Before Emma could respond, Elena entered the kitchen. Emma's head snapped to her direction. "We're leaving, come on." Nodding, she quickly stepped away from Damon and left the house with Elena.

* * *

"Ugh, he keeps calling." Elena said, pressing ignore on her phone. She got up from the couch she was sitting on with Emma. "I'm going upstairs."

"Okay." Emma watched the TV until she heard a knock on the door. She got up and opened the door, only to be pushed back when Damon entered the house. "Elena! Our least favorite Salvatore is here." she shouted up the stairs, annoyed.

Elena came down to see Damon looking around the living. "You're ignoring me."

The older Gilbert rolled her eyes. "The 6 missed calls? Sorry. My phone is dead."

Damon stared at the girls. "Is Stefan here?" he asked.

"No. Why. Something wrong?" Emma asked, seeing Elena tense with worry.

Damon pulled out his phone. "He went out to the woods and didn't come back. I can't get him on his phone. I figured he was here with you."

Elena took her phone and dialed Stefan's number. "It's going straight to voicemail. Where could he be?"

"You're not going to like what I'm thinking. Come on." Damon walked out of the house to his car and the Gilbert's followed. When they got into the car, Damon quickly started it and drove into the woods, where a house was. He turned to the girls before leaving. "Stay here, I'll be right back." And he was gone.

Elena sat in the passenger seat, nervously tapping her fingers on her knee. Emma leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll save him."

"I hope so." Elena said, putting her hand on top of Emma's. The girl's sat in the car, watching the rain fall down while Damon was gone. After a while, they saw him walking back to the car. The two got out with an umbrella and met him halfway.

"What happened? Where is he?" Emma asked, huddling close to the middle of the umbrella.

Damon took a hold of the umbrella. "They have him."

"What?!" Emma said.

Damon nodded. "Yeah, and I can't get in."

"Why not?" Elena asked, getting more worried.

"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in." Damon explained.

Emma thought for a moment. "We can get in." she said, pulling Elena, who agreed, with her towards the house. But she was stopped by Damon, who put his arm in front.

"You two are not going in there. Especially not you." he said, pointing to Emma.

"But Damon!" Elena exclaimed.

"No." Damon said, holding the girl's back.

"Why are they doing this? What do they want with him?" Elena asked.

Damon sighed. "Revenge. They want revenge."

"Well, we have to do something." Emma said, trying to come up with a plan.

Damon nodded. "I know."

"We can't let them hurt him. We gotta get him out of there." Elena said, freaking out.

Damon put his hands on either side of her face. "Elena, I know. But I don't know how to get him out."

"I know!" Emma said, causing the two to look at her. "Damon, you said that Alaric tried to kill you and you killed him but came back, right?" Damon nodded. "Well, if that's the case, then he can help us."

Damon looked at the young girl. "You. . . are brilliant, let's go." And the three drove to the school.

* * *

Emma and Elena stood by the history room door as Damon confronted Alaric in the hallway. "Well don't you look. . . alive." he said.

"You can't hurt me." Alaric said.

Damon smirked. "Oh, I can hurt you, all right." The two started to make their way towards each other, making the two girls come out and interrupt them.

"Mr. Saltzman." Elena said. Alaric seemed uneasy to see her. "We need your help."

Alaric thought for a minutes. "Fine." The four of them entered the classroom. Alaric sat in his seat as Elena stood in front of his desk, Emma sitting in one of the student desks, and Damon leaning against the window frame. "What happened?" the history asked, leaning back.

Elena explained the situation to him. "Stefan's in the house. Damon's a vampire. He can't get in. We need you. I would go but-"

"Your life is valuable. And pipsqueak over here thinks that even though she's a little girl, she can do whatever she wants." Damon injected. Emma rolled her eyes. "Though," Damon continued. "yours, on the other hand. . ." Alaric gave Damon a look.

"Stefan told me about your ring." Elena said.

"What about it?" Alaric asked, putting on a lazy look.

"Let me recap; You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I, uh, leaving anything out?" Damon said.

"Yeah," Alaric got up from his seat. "The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss."

Emma quickly stood and went in front of him. "Mr. Saltzman, please. It's Stefan."

Alaric stared at the little girl before looking down. "I'm sorry, guys. But it's not my problem."

"That's a shame." Damon said. "Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife." He began to walk over.

Emma and Elena both had confused looks. What was he talking about? There's no way that can happen. "You're lying." Alaric said, unconvinced.

"Am I?" Damon questioned. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Emma looked at him as if he was crazy. Alaric won't fall for what Damon was saying which was clearly a lie. "Coward. Come on, girls." Damon grabbed their arms and pulled then towards the door.

But they were stopped when Alaric said, "All right! Wait. I'll go." Alaric when to a cabinet and pulled out a rolled up tarp and put it on his desk. The three stood around it as he unrolled it, revealing various weapons.

"Teach by day, vampire hunter by night." Damon commented. Emma elbowed the vampire.

"I've you to thank for that." Alaric replied.

Emma ran her fingers along a dart. "What are these?" she asked.

"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain."

"Can I use it on Damon?" she asked, earning a glare from Damon.

Alaric laughed at her question. "Unfortunately, no."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Just get me in. I'll get Stefan out."

"That's your plan? You're just gonna take them all on yourself?" Elena asked.

"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully." he replied. Elena reached over and grabbed one of the darts.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Alaric asked.

Elena looked up at him. "I'm going with you." she said, as if it was a fact.

Emma frowned. "If she gets to go, then I want to go."

"No. No. No. And no." Damon said, making his point that they weren't going in and smiling at the end.

Elena stared at the two men. "You need me. I'll get in. You could distract them, then I'll get Stefan out."

"No, you'll get yourself killed. You're not going in there." Damon said. "And Emma if you say what you're going to say one more time, I will tie you to a chair and leave you there for the rest of the night. Got it?" he said before Emma could speak. Emma sighed and nodded.

"Damon, I'm going." Elena said once again.

Damon ignored her and spoke to Alaric. " So, when you get me in, get out as quickly as you can. I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You'll basically just be in they way."

"Now is not the time to be the Lone Ranger." Elena said, getting annoyed.

Damon groaned. "Fine. Elena, you can drive the getaway car."

Emma's mouth opened. "What? What about me."

Damon made faces and groaned again. "Okay, you can be the one that opens the car door when I come back with Stefan." Emma smiled triumphantly.

"You can't stop me. It's Stefan we're talking about here. You don't understand." Elena tried to reason.

"Oh I understand. I understand. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong. I get it."

Elena lost it a little. "Can you not joke around for 2 seconds?"

"Listen, Elena, I can't protect you. I don't know how many vampires there are in there." He snapped his fingers. "That's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety. Or this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from including Stefan." Elena stayed quiet, tears forming. "I know. I get it. I understand."

Alaric looked between the two. "If we're gonna go, let's go." He rolled up that tarp and the four of them went to the car.

As they drove, Alaric looked at Emma, who sat next to him in the back. "Hey, I'm Alaric." He held out his hand.

Emma reached over and shook it. "Emma."

"So, what got a 12 year old stuck in this?" he asked, gesturing around him.

Emma smiled. "I'm her sister."

Alaric nodded and stared out the window. When they got there, Damon turned to Elena, who was driving, and Emma. "Okay, we're going in. Stay. Here." The guys got out and disappeared from the girl's sight.

After a minute, Emma reached into the bag next to Elena and pulled out a tranquilizer. "Whoa, what are you doing?" Elena asked, looking at her sister.

Emma sighed. "I'm not going to wait in here. They need help. If you want to save Stefan so badly, then come with me." She got out of the car, ignoring the protests from Elena. She ran in the rain, towards the house. Staying low, she climbed over the porch railing quickly hiding against a wall.

"Billy, Jacob, get in back in here!" she heard from this inside. When she looked forward, she was Elena come up. She quickly put her finger to her lips and pointed to the door near them.

Elena nodded and looked around and saw a staircase leading to the basement. She pointed it out to Emma and they quickly went to it, without getting caught. They got to a door that was locked and Elena rammed her elbow on the window, reaching in and unlocking the door. The girls proceeded down the hallway. Emma poked her head around a corner to see a vampire sitting with headphones in his ears. She tightened her hold on the tranquilizer. The vampire got up and started to walk where the girls were. When Emma looked again, she gasped when she saw him close. Before the vampire could do anything, Damon came out and stabbed him in the neck. He looked at the girls when the guy fell.

"Are you two insane?" he asked, getting mad.

Emma and Elena came out from behind the corner and followed Damon to where Stefan could be. The three of them bursted through the door, to see Stefan tied up with multiple cuts on his body. "Elena." be breathed out. Elena went up to him and Emma went around him, trying to find a way to untie him. "You guys shouldn't be here. . ."

"They were supposed to stay in the car." Damon said, about to stake the vampire that was tied to a chair.

"No. No. No. Not him." Stefan said.

Damon put the stake away. "Whatever. Let's get you down."

"There's vervain on the ropes." Stefan said.

"Emma, pull that." Emma went over and did what she was asked. Stefan fell into Stefan's arms. "Alright, let's go. Clothes on."

"Wait." Stefan panted.

"What? Come on." Emma said, ready to leave, Damon next to her.

Stefan pulled one of the stakes that was jammed into the other vampires knees. He pointed to the other one. "The other one." he said to Elena. Then the four of them left the room and went down the hallway.

"Can you guys get him in the car?" Damon asked. Emma nodded. "Alright go."

"What about you?" Elena asked, holding onto Stefan.

"You rescue, I'll distract. Go." Damon went up into the house, leaving Emma and Elena to get Stefan to the car.

They were in the wood now, the rain stopped. As they walked, Emma kept a look out to make sure no one was following them. Stefan's legs gave out, making him and Elena fall.

"Are you guys okay?" Emma asked, kneeling down to check on them.

"Yeah, come on. We gotta keep going." Elena said, picking Stefan up again. Emma help this time.

They kept going. "We're almost there. It's right over here." Emma said. When they got to the car, she opened the passenger door, helping Stefan in the seat. Emma and Elena entered as well.

But when Elena tried to start the car, the key hole was broken. "Stefan." Elena said slowly.

Suddenly a hand shot through Stefan's window, pulling him out of the car. Frederick threw Stefan on the ground and began to punch and kick him. Fredrick picked up a tree branch and lifted Stefan up. "This is for Bethanne." He stabbed Stefan on his chest, but not close to his heart. "And this is for the tomb." Before he could stab him again, Emma came up behind Frederick and stabbed the tranquilizer into his back. He fell, choking.

Elena went to Stefan's side. "Stefan. . ." Se pulled out the branch, making Stefan groan in pain. "Stefan." He began to close his eyes, too weak to stay awake. "No, Stefan. Stefan, please." Emma kneeled down, tears forming. They heard growling. Frederick was twitching.

"Oh my god." Emma said. She started to shake Stefan's shoulders. "Please get up. Get up, Stefan." she said, crying. "Elena, he's not getting up."

Elena looked back and saw Frederick start to lift himself up. She put her hands on either side of his face, then to see a scratch on her hand. She got an idea. Elena put her hand to Stefan's mouth, having him drink her blood. "Here." She pulled away.

Stefan ran his tongue over his lips. "Elena, run. Get Emma and go."

Elena shook her head. "Please, Stefan. My wrists. You need more blood."

"No, Elena, run." Stefan said, trying to push Elena and Emma away.

Elena stared at him. "I trust you." She put her wrist back at his mouth. He bit down and sucked the blood that was coming out up. Elena winced, feeling his teeth tear through her skin. Emma sat there, watching the scene before her. After a while, Stefan pulled away and the sisters went behind a tree to hide.

Frederick stood up, seeing Stefan on the ground all by himself. He picked up another stick, ready to stake Stefan. He didn't expect Stefan to get up and have him in a choke hold against a tree. Elena and Emma peered out from the tree, watching. Stefan grabbed the stick and started to stab Frederick repeatably.

"Stefan." Emma said. She and Elena walked over to him. Elena pulled on his arm and he turned, hissing at them. By doing that, he dropped Frederick, who was dead. Emma and Elena stared at his body, shocked that Stefan was able to do that. Stefan started to calm down and dropped the stick, breathing heavily. The girls stared at him.

* * *

Emma and Elena stood in Stefan's room while he was in the bathroom. They didn't say anything, not facing each other. A minute later, Stefan came out, holding his jacket. He saw the sisters and how they were very quiet. Elena turned around when she saw his reflection from the window. Emma looked up and saw him. She stood, making her way to the door. "I'll leave you two to talk." And she went downstairs. She sat on the couch, in front of the fireplace.

She stared at the flames flickering back and forth. The images of Stefan that night were playing in her head. She never thought she would ever have to see Stefan that way. It really. . . scared her. Emma didn't want to be scared of Stefan. He gave her his word that he was nothing like Damon and other vampires. He wouldn't be considered dangerous in Emma's mind. But for some reason, tonight he was.

Emma sighed. She can't think like that. He's her friend. Emma's thought's were interrupted when Elena came running down the stairs and into the living room. "Elena, what's wrong?"

Elena looked at Emma. "Remember what I told you about Vicki?" Emma nodded. "Caroline found her." Emma's eyes widened. They quickly got into Elena's car and drove over to Matt's house

When they got there, Elena went to go find Matt and Emma went into the kitchen to see Jeremy and Tyler Lockwood sitting at the table. "Jer." she said and Jeremy turned to her. He started tears slowly formed and Emma walked up to him, hugging her brother tightly.

Later, the Gilberts went home. As Elena closed the door, Jeremy went up the stairs. "Jeremy." Elena called out. He turned around. "Are you okay?"

"I'm gonna go get some sleep." he said and went to his room.

The Gilbert sisters stood in silence before sitting on the steps, hugging each other.


	5. Under Control

"Get up!"

Emma woke up with a start. She lifted her head up and turned it to the side to see Jenna standing next to her bed. "Wha. ."

Jenna pulled the covers off of her. "After putting it off for so long, I finally turned in your registration papers at the school. Today, missy, will be your first day of 7th grade." she said, finishing off with a smile.

The young Gilbert groaned, letting her head fall face first into her pillow. "But Jenna, I don't want to." she complained, though most of what she said was muffled.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "If you don't get up now, I'm going to call John and have him take you back." She crossed her arms when Emma lifted her head.

"Fine." she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Jenna triumphantly smile. "Oh wipe that off your face, I'm only going because this house got boring. Now," Emma went over to her dresser. "leave so I can change." Jenna left, closing the door, and Emma sighed. "Let's get this over with."

After about 15 minutes of getting ready, Emma made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where Jenna and Elena were talking.

"Good morning." Elena said, sipping her coffee. In return, she got a grunt. "Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Jenna laughed. "This one here is being difficult about going to school." Emma just rolled her eyes and took a bite out of the bagel that was made for her. With her mouth full, Emma spoke but no one was able to understand a single word. "Okay, that's gross and we didn't hear a word you said."

Emma swallowed. "I said that I can't go to school, I don't even have a backpack or school supplies. . ." she trailed off, smirking.

Elena coughed. "Spoke too soon."

Emma's smirk fell, and she looked at Elena confused. "Wh-"

"I got you everything!" Jenna said, holding up a backpack that was full of stuff. She set it on the island and opened the main compartment. "See, I got you notebooks, and a binder that has a pouch holding you're pens, erasers, and freshly sharpened pencils."

Emma pouted. Now she really does have to go. Elena looked at the clock on the microwave. "Let's go, Em. We have school." she said, grinning when her younger sister glared at her. They walked to the door.

"Come on, Jeremy! We have to go to, ugh I can't even say the word." Emma said, making a face.

Elena rolled her eyes and Jenna came up to them. "You forgot this." she said, stuffing whatever it was inside Elena's backpack.

"Thank you." Elena said, opening the door. But when she opened, the three where surprised to see Johnathan Gilbert, who was ready to knock, on the other side.

"Elena. Emma." he said in a cheery voice, smiling at the girls.

"Uncle John. Hi." Elena greeted.

Emma on the other hand was gaping at him. She turned to Jenna. "But I got ready!"

Jenna put her hand on Emma's shoulder. "I know but I only said that so you would get up." She turned to John. "John. You made it."

"I said I would be in by noon." John said, walking into the house with his things.

"Oh what you say and what you do are typically 2 very different things." Jenna replied, rubbing her neck. Emma was still staring at her with wide eyes. "He's not here for you." Jenna whispered.

Jeremy came down the stairs. "Uncle John. What's up?" he asked, slapping his shoulder.

"Hey." John said and Jeremy walked out of the house. John watched him as he said, "I had some business in town." He turned to the girls. "I though a visit was in order."

"How long are you staying?" Elena asked.

John shrugged. "I don't know yet."

Elena nodded. "Hmm. Okay. Well, we're gonna go to school. See you later." The sisters walked out onto the porch and when they turned to Jenna, they gave her a look. She only shook her head and closed the door.

Emma sighed. "I runaway from him yet he appears out of nowhere." She made her way to the car with Elena next to her.

"Hey, no matter what happens, you are staying. He's not taking you away. Ever." Elena said, wrapping an arm around Emma's shoulders. Emma smiled. "How about we don't think about him and think about your first day of school. Remember, if you need anything, just come up to me, Bonnie, Stefan, Matt, Caroline, maybe Jer, okay?" Elena asked.

Emma nodded. "Alright. But why does the school have 7th and 8th mixed with high school?"

Elena shrugged. "Who knows. They started that this year." Elena said, getting in the drivers seat and they went off.

* * *

Emma's day was not going well. Everyone knows that being the new kid at school is ruff. Not being about to make friends considering everyone was already in their own clique. But that wasn't what Emma was supposed to feel like. She knew everyone in that grade. She grew up with them. When she tried to go talk to one of her old friends, Melissa, the girl kinda pretended that she didn't know the Gilbert. And when she would walk into class, some of the kids already in there would start to whisper and look at her. This made her want to run and hide forever.

Emma was walking down the hall when she saw her sister heading in her direction. She sighed in relief and ran the rest of the distance to Elena. "Oh my god. Am I happy to see you." she said, hugging her sister.

Elena was a bit surprised. "Em, what's wrong?" she asked, rubbing her back.

Emma shook her head. "Two words; school sucks."

Elena laughed. "Wanna come with me to Mr. Saltzman's classroom? He called me to meet him." Emma nodded and they walked.

* * *

"I made a copy of a paper that Jeremy wrote for me." Alaric said, grabbing the paper off his desk. Emma and Elena were leaning against student desks. "I think you should have a look at it." He handed it to Elena.

Emma looked over Elena's arm and read the title of the cover page:

 _Fact or Fiction:_

 _The Truth About Vampires in Mystic Falls_

This shocked the sisters. "Jeremy wrote this?" Emma asked, looking up at the teacher.

Alaric looked down. "He's very clear that he didn't think it was real."

Elena shook her head. "I really hope you're right because I've done so much to protect him from all this." She handed the paper back to Alaric.

He set it down and turned back to the girls. "So, how do you deal with it?" Elena looked a little confused. "I don't know, with all the lies and the secrets. You have to lie to everyone who's important to you.

"It's not safe for them to know the truth, so, yes, I keep it from them, but it's only because I love them." Elena defended.

Alaric nodded. "I understand. But what I don't get, is how Emma knows."

Emma played with her fingers. "I was attacked by Damon, who almost turned me, and then I was kidnapped two by crazy vampires only then to be used as a snack for a hundred thousand something vampire. Now the reason I still remember all this is that I apparently can't be compelled. I don't know but I can't." Alaric furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's, horrible." he said. He got up and went around to his chair. "You know, I think Stefan is a great guy, but at the end of the day, he's still a vampire."

"I know it's hard to understand but Stefan's different." Elena said, backing her boyfriend up. "He would never do anything to hurt me or Emma."

* * *

". . . going to the party."

Emma walked into the kitchen to see Jenna, John, and Jeremy eating Chinese take out. "Oh are you talking about that Founder's Day thingy?" she asked, grabbing a carton and chopsticks. She sat down next to Jeremy.

John looked at her. "Yes and you all are going." he said, eating more food.

Emma pouted. "But I don't want to wear a dress." she whined, stabbing her food with the chopsticks.

"One day, when you can appreciate the significance, I'll tell you about all your heritage." John said.

Jenna stood by the table. "Hmm. The Gilbert family legacy. I forgot how sacred it was." She pointed to herself. "I'm not a Gilbert so I was never cool enough to hear it." she joked, which made John shake his head.

Emma laughed. "Don't worry, Jenna, I'll tell you everything right after I find out." Jenna smiled at her.

Jeremy leaned over to John. "Why does she hate you?"

"We used to sleep together." That resulted to Jenna throwing a bag of the food at John. Emma and Jeremy ducked away, surprised at the action.

"I'm standing right here." Jenna said sounding pissed. John looked away from her and continued to eat. Emma had to hold in her laugh, seeing that it was not a good time to. She looked to her left to see that Jeremy was doing the same as well, which made it harder for her to hold it.

The next morning, Emma and Jeremy were sitting at the dinning table eating cereal before going to school. "Man, I missed Fruit Loops so much." Emma said, shoving the spoon in her mouth.

Jeremy gave her a weird look. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"John never let me eat this. He always had me eating this whole wheat crap that was horrible." she said.

"All the reason why I was happy not to be the one living with him." Jeremy said. Emma scoffed and hit Jeremy's arm, making him laugh.

They continued to eat when they heard a voice by the front door. "No, Elena, I will not go to your bedroom with you." Jeremy rolled his eyes when he saw Damon.

"Brb, gotta get my shoes." Emma said, quickly getting up from her seat and going upstairs and into Elena's room. "You weren't gonna start without me were you?" she asked, considering Elena was shutting the door when she came.

Elena sighed. "Em, I don't think you should be here. You're too young for all this."

Emma shook her head. "No, Elena. They whole reason why I remember this is so that I can help. So whether you like it or not, I'm helping." she said. And with that, Emma sat next to Damon on Elena's bed and grabbed the bear from his arms, holding it close to her.

"Hey!" Damon protested, ready to take it back. Emma glared at him and he backed off. Damon put his arms over his head. "Did you two know that you're Uncle's been kickin' it with the Founder's Council?" Damon asked.

"What?" Emma asked, surprised.

"Yep."

"Perfect, let's add it to the growing list of how everything's falling apart." Elena said sarcastically, crossing her arms. Damon looked past Elena and saw broken shelves. He tapped Emma's leg and pointed to it.

"What happened right there?" he asked.

Elena shook her head. "Uh, nothing." She looked at her sister and Damon, who were giving her doubtful looks. "Look, guys I-I'm worried about Stefan. He says that everything's okay, but he's clearly struggling. How long is it gonna take before he's back to normal?"

Damon thought. "A few days, give or take."

"Damon, it's been a few days." Emma said.

"Give, then. I don't know." Damon said, rolling his eyes. "What's the big deal?" he asked, getting up from the bed.

"He's not himself." Elena said.

Damon walked to Elena's dresser and opened the top one. "Well, maybe his problem is he's spent too long not being himself." Damon pulled out one of Elena's bras holding it up.

Elena grabbed it and put it back. "Please don't make me sorry for asking you."

"It is what it is, Elena." Damon grabbed one of the pictures that were on the mirror. "The Stefan you two know was 'Good Behavior' Stefan, 'Reign it in' Stefan, 'Fight Against His Nature to an Annoyingly Obsessive Level' Stefan, but if guys think there's not another part to this, then you have not been paying attention." Elena grabbed the picture back and put it where it belonged.

"He's not you, old man, not even close." Emma said, petting the bear in her lap.

Damon looked at her. "Why do you keep calling me 'old man'? I do not look that old."

Emma breathed out a laugh. "But you are old, right?" She smiled when she saw that Damon glared at her.

"Whatever. Anyway, he doesn't wanna be me, girl scout." He started to get closer to Elena, slowly. "But that doesn't mean deep down that he's not." Damon 'mmh' before stepping away and leaving.

"He's such an idiot." Emma said.

Elena nodded. "Tell me about it." She crossed her arms again. "Hey, Em, I'm gonna go talk to Jer, okay?"

Emma nodded. "Okay." She got up and left the room, going to hers. She sat on her bed, looking around when she spotted a photo album. She reached out grabbed it. Emma opened it and saw pictures of her parents. There was one when the Gilberts decided to have a picnic at a part nearby. They had everything for a typical picnic. They flew a kite, kicked around a ball. Had the best time ever. Emma's eyes had small tears forming. She missed her parents so much.

* * *

"I don't like this dress." Emma said, tugging at the skirt. The Gilberts had arrived at the Founder's Day party and Emma was grumpy that she didn't have a choice but to come.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Stop complaining. We won't stay that long." she said, looking around the crowd. The sisters left Jeremy and Jenna to look for Stefan. They walked in where the music was playing and saw Stefan wave them over. "Hey."

"Hey." Stefan, raising his glass. "How are you?" He gave Elena a kiss on the cheek. He then hugged Emma. But when his face was close to hers, she was able to smell the alcohol in his breath.

"Whoa, Stefan, are you drunk?" she asked.

Stefan cleared his throat. "Um. . . Okay, I know it's a little weird, but it's really helping me. The alcohol help takes the edge off."

Emma laughed. "You're totally that drunk high school guy at the party sneaking booze."

"I totally am. Yeah." Stefan said, nodding in agreement.

"How worried do I need to be?" Elena asked.

Stefan quickly put the glass down. "Oh, no. You don't need to be worried. It's just until, um, the cravings go away." He put his hand on Elena's shoulders. "Listen. How about we enjoy it while it lasts?" He held a hand out. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Elena looked shocked. "You hate dancing. I usually have to beg you."

"No, no, no. You have to beg the sober me. The drunk me, there's no begging necessary."

Emma looked around. "There's no one dancing. It would be kinda weird if you two were."

"Well, my friend, that's because they need something better to dance to." He looked at the girls. "Be right back."

"Drunk Stefan is so cool." Emma said when he went away. Elena just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's not going to work." A voice said behind them. The girls turned to see Kelly Donovan. "I already tried to bribe the guy with 20 bucks and a date. He said Carol Lockwood had complete control over the music choices."

Elena shrugged. "You'd be surprised what Stefan can accomplish when he puts his mind to it." They watched the guy changed the music to an up beat song.

"Thank god." Kelly said, and walked off to who knows where.

Stefan came back and grabbed Emma's arm, taking her to the middle of the dance floor. Emma laughed when Stefan twirled her. They jumped up and spun around, having the time of their lives. After a while, Emma moved to dance with Matt while Stefan went off to Elena.

Emma was by a table of food when Damon suddenly appeared next to her. "How's it going, little Gilbert?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Stop calling me little." She put a piece of bread in her mouth.

"Hey let me see your wrist." Damon didn't let her respond and grabbed her wrist anyways. "Where'd you get this bracelet?" he asked.

"Uhh, Uncle John gave it t-"

"Of course." Damon ripped of the bracelet, ignoring Emma's protest. "Now," He grabbed Emma's face with his hands. "stop talking." Immediately, Emma closed her mouth. Damon smirked. "That solves the mystery. Let's try again. Say 'Damon is so awesome and incredibly handsome.'"

Emma's eyes widened and she began to struggle. "D-da-m-on is. . . so awesome. . . and. . . incredibly handsome." she repeated.

Damon kept his smirk. "I know I am." He put the bracelet back on her. "Bye, bye." And he left her standing alone.

"Hey wait!" she called out, following him. At first she lost sight of him but found him again talking to Stefan.

She walked up when she heard, ". . . how I just killed Uncle John Gilbert?"

"What?!" Emma said, eyes widening.

Damon looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Why does she show up at the worst time?" he asked himself. "Anyway, great party, right?" And he walked away once again.

"Wait, Damon!" Emma turned to follow him, Stefan as well but he disappeared. She finally caught up with Damon. "Repeat what you just said."

"Uh, 'Anyway, great party?'" Damon responded.

Emma glared at him. "No, what you said before that, stupid."

Damon pretended to be shocked. "'Stupid' is bad word." When he only got a glare again, he sighed. "Okay so I killed Uncle John. What's the big deal?"

Emma waved her arms around. "The big deal is that you just killed my uncle. How could you do that?" she frantically said.

Damon started to get annoyed by the little girl. "You know what? I had to kill him. He was a problem. He was going to expose Stefan and I and I wasn't gonna let that happen. Besides, no one liked him so really I was doing everyone a favor."

Emma scoffed, small tears forming out of frustration. "Doesn't matter. He was family." She shook her head and looked away. But she eyes widened. "Damon. . ."

"Ugh, what now?" Damon said, not wanting to hear her complaining again.

"Look."

The vampire followed her gaze to see none other than John Gilbert walking inside, nodding to people who greeted him. "You've got to be kidding me." He grabbed Emma's hand. "Come on." He guided themselves past people who were starting to gather around where the mayor was.

"Thank you all for joining us tonight." Richard Lockwood began. "In just a few moments, we will officially begin the countdown to our upcoming Founder's Day celebration and it's a very special one this year." Damon looked around the crowd and Emma had to stand on her toes to try and see the mayor. "The 105th birthday of our town." Everyone clapped as some guys carried in a huge bell. "And- and I would like to welcome back one of our town's favorite sons to do the honors of ringing our official charter bell. John Gilbert, would you pleas join me up here?"

John walked up and stood in front of everyone. "150 years of community, prosperity, family. We take care of each other, look after each other," He made eye contact with Damon. "protect each other." Damon glared at him. "It's good to be home." He began to clap and everyone joined him.

Damon tugged Emma towards Alaric. Damon leaned close to him. "Look at his right hand."

"Whose?" Alaric asked.

"The town's favorite son. Look at his ring." Damon said.

Emma looked over at her uncle's hand, as he pulled the rope for the bell, to see the same ring Alaric has. "That looks like yours, Alaric."

Damon nodded. "Yeah, and that would be a big coincidence if he didn't just come back from the dead 5 minutes ago." Emma glared at him and stomped on his foot. "Ow, stop it." He turned back to Alaric. "Where the hell did you get that ring?"

"Isobel, my wife." Alaric replied.

Damon laughed. "Who gave birth to Elena under the medical care of the esteemed Dr. Grayson Gilbert, John's brother." He dragged that part out.

Emma was confused. "Wait, what are you saying?"

Damon took a sip of his bourbon. "What I'm saying is that John know a lot of things." The three started to follow John but Emma was stopped by Damon. "This is how far you go."

"What?" Emma asked, shockingly. "Why is everyone pushing me away? Just because I'm 12 doesn't mean I'm useless." she defended.

Alaric whispered to Damon. "It's too late to stop her now. She already knows so much."

Damon groaned. "Ugh, fine you can come. I swear, this girl gets her way to many times." So again, the three followed after John. "Goin' somewhere?" Damon asked him when they caught up.

John was fixing his jacket. "Never like to be the last one to leave a party." He looked past Damon and saw Emma. "What is she doing here?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "I tried to get rid of her but she won't listen."

John sighed, thinking in his head that the young Gilbert doesn't really listen to anyone. "Here to kill me again in front of my niece or have Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work?"

Alaric stopped walking. "Okay, you obviously know who I am."

"I do." Jon said, stopping as well. "Alaric Saltzman, the high school history teacher with a secret."

"Sure know a lot for someone who just got to town." Damon said, eyeing John.

John walked past Damon. "More than you can imagine, Damon. My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything that you or you or the council knows. So if you were planning on some clever high-speed, snatch-ring, vamp kill move, know that if I die everything I know goes to the council, including the fascinating little tale of the original Salvatore Brothers and their present-day return to Mystic Falls." John threatened.

Emma has never seen this side of her uncle and honestly, it scared her. He has information that could easily get Stefan and Damon killed in a snap. "Uncle John," she said, earning the attention of the males. "How'd you get that ring?"

"Well, I inherited one, your father Gray, the other. This was his." John held up his hand. "And I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel had I known she'd hand it over to another guy." He looked at Alaric.

"So you did know her." Damon said.

"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?" John confirmed.

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "You sent her?"

"Guilty." John sarcastically said. "Why, did you think someone else sent her?" Damon shrugged. "Maybe Katherine Pierce?"

Damon had a blank face. "How do you know about Katherine?"

"How do I know anything, Damon?"

Damon got into John's face. "What do you want?"

John smirked. "So many questions." The two stared at each other for a while. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Rick." John said, turning to the history teacher's direction. "I've heard so much about you." He turned and began to walk away when he stopped. "Come on, Emma. Let's go home."

Emma stood there, not sure what to do. She turned to Damon as if she was looking for permission. Damon just nodded and Emma slowly followed her uncle to the car. The ride back to the house was in silence. When John pulled up to the house, Emma quickly got out of the car and into the house, not wanting to stay with John any longer. She ran up the stairs and closed her door. Emma sighed and changed out of her dress. When she finished, she got inside her bed and went to sleep. Or at least tried to.


	6. Miss Mystic Falls

**Hello, hello, everyone! I have a new chapter for you guys! Sorry it takes me a while to update, considering these are already written. I just forget and then I realize that I'm a month or two late and I'm like, 'well, shit, I should probably update.' So I am delivering.**

 **In response to the Guest who commented on the last chapter:**

 **I know it may seem that Emma is like Elena in a lot of ways right now but as the story progresses, she learns to make her own choices. These were the early stages of my writings for this story and I should probably edit them but trust me, it gets better in the later chapters. I hope overall that you like the story and will be patient to Emma's character development. Thanks for the input!**

 **Okay onto the story!**

* * *

Emma and Elena were in the parking lot of their school, hanging out before school started. "I'm so tired." Emma said, yawning.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have stayed up so late watching TV." Elena said.

Emma nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Jenna lectured me this morning." She looked up to say something else but stopped when she saw a red Porsche pull into the lot. "Is that Stefan?" she asked, pointing at the car.

Elena turned and nodded when she saw the car.

Stefan owns a Porsche?!, Emma thought, staring at the car dreamily.

The car parked and revealed the said vampire. "Come on." Elena said, already making her way over. Stefan removed his sunglasses when they came up to him. "Nice car."

Emma shook her head. "'Nice car'? More like amazingly beautiful car." Emma lifted her hand and was about to touch it when she looked at Stefan. "Can I touch it?"

Stefan chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I thought it would be a waist to leave it sitting in the garage." He went over to Elena and kissed her, hold her face in his hands.

"I didn't know you were coming back today." Elena said when they pulled apart.

Stefan looked over at Emma and back at Elena. "You know, I woke up this morning and I was feeling great, and I figured it was time for me to get back into things."

Emma moved her attention from the car to Stefan. "Does that mean you're okay now? With all the cravings?" she asked, leaning against the car.

"Yeah. I mean, the worst part is over. So. . . now all I want to do is just spend as much time with you as possible." Stefan caressed Elena's face.

"I'm okay with that." Elena said, kissing Stefan again.

Emma made a face. "Ew gross. Please wait till I'm not around." The couple laughed. "Bye, guys." she said, and she walked to the school. As she walked, she felt nerviouness creep in her body.

It's been weeks since she started school again and it's been difficult for the young Gilbert. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't connect to the others like she used to. Ever since her parents died, she felt like she was the outcast of everyone in the school. Everywhere she turned, people would look at her with pity, as if all she was, was a sack of sadness.

Letting out a tired sigh, she continued walking and walked into the class.

* * *

Emma had just gotten outside after the bell rang when she saw Bonnie. She gasped and ran towards the girl. "Bon!" she yelled.

Bonnie turned around and smiled. She opened her arms when Emma rammed into her, almost making them fall. "Hey, Em. How's it going?" she asked.

"Great. How are you? When did you get back?" Emma asked pulling away.

Bonnie shrugged. "A few days ago. I spent time with my dad for a little before deciding to come back to school."

Emma smiled even bigger. "Well, I'm happy you're back. I missed you so much."

"Bonnie."

The girls turned to see Elena come up to them. "Hey." Bonnie said, but turned her head away as if to ignore her.

"Hey, I, um, I tried to grab you after class but you'd already taken off. How are you? How's your family?" Elena asked.

"We're dealing. It's been really hard."

Elena adjusted her bag. "Everyone here really missed you."

"Yeah, I just had so much to deal with after Grams' funeral, and honestly after you told me that the tomb's spell failed, I just didn't really want to come back." Bonnie said, looking down.

Emma thought about how hard it must have been for Bonnie. To loose Grams and only to find out that the attempt Grams made to protect Mystic Falls failed must have made it seem like her death was for nothing.

"I hope you understand why I called. I wanted you to know before you came home." Elena said.

"Yeah, I understand why. I just wish I didn't know." Bonnie said.

The three stood in silence before Elena spoke again. "I know it's been really hard-"

"Bonnie!" They turned to see Caroline running up to them. "Thank god you're home." Caroline hugged her tightly. "I know we talked everyday, but I missed you!" Emma and Elena had hurt looks. "How are you doing?"

"Better. Just better. You know, and glad to be back and try to keep myself busy."

Caroline smiled big. "Well, I can help with that. Major wardrobe confab needed ASAP. You need to help me pick the perfect dress for the Founder's court?"

Elena and Emma were confused. "The Founder's Court? Did I miss something?" Elena looked at the others for help.

Caroline looked at Elena and emphasized. "The Founder's Court."

Emma caught on. "Oh. El, you know, Miss Mystic Falls." Emma said.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, they announced it today and, um, you and I are both on it."

"Oh. my god, we signed up for that so long ago. I completely forgot." Elena realized.

"So are you dropping out, then?" Caroline urged.

Elena shook her head. "I can't."

"No?" Caroline asked.

Emma nodded. "Mom is the one who wanted her to enter." Bonnie and Caroline stared at the Gilbert sisters in pity.

* * *

The youngest Gilbert had just walked into the kitchen to see Elena on the phone. "Is that Stefan?" she asked. Elena nodded. "Hi Stefan!" Emma shouted, know that no matter how she said it, he would hear her.

Elena rolled her eyes. "He says hi. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." She hung up the phone.

"What were you talking about?" Emma asked, grabbing a granola bar.

Elena put her phone on the counter. "I asking Stefan to be my escort at the Founder's Court."

Emma smiled. "You two are going to be so cute." She took a bite before she gasped. "Oh, my god, Elena. Can I help you get ready?" she asked excitedly. Elena seemed unsure. "Oh, pleaaase! You have the interview coming up and you need practice. I can help."

Elena sighed. "Alright. You can help." Emma squealed with happiness.

"Yay! Come on, let's practice."

So for the rest of the night, Emma helped Elena prepare for the interview by asking potential questions. And on the day of, Emma made sure to make Elena feel like she was going to do great. And then a few days after, all the contestants were to meet at the high school's gym to learn the dance. Emma, who was bored that day, decided to come.

"Honor your partner." Carol Lockwood instructed and they all bowed to each other. Emma was sitting on the lunch table, watching. "Let's focus. Right hand around. Flirt with your eyes." Emma noticed that Elena and Stefan were having the most fun out of everyone in the room. "Left hand around." They copied the same movements again. "Both hands." Then, suddenly Stefan twirled Elena and caught her in a dip. That got Carol mad. "No, no, no. There's no touching during this part. It's about the simple intimacy of the near-touch." Carol lightly scolded. She turned to a blonde. "Good job, Amber." she complimented.

The girl, Amber, smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood!" she replied, a little too happily.

Emma made a face. She and Elena made eye contact and she mouthed, 'Try hard'. The older girls laughed and nodded in agreement.

Soon, the dance practice was over and Emma the couple over by the table with their stuff. "You guys were great."

Stefan smiled. "Why thank you."

Elena was going to say something when the three of them noticed that the other half of the contestants came in, Caroline and Bonnie included. "Bonnie." Elena called.

"Hey, how are you?" Stefan asked. Bonnie didn't answer him. It seemed to Emma that she was uncomfortable with Stefan around.

"I begged Bonnie to fill in for Matt." Caroline intervened, sensing the awkwardness. "He had to work today."

Elena nodded and stared at Bonnie. "Bonnie, do you have a minute?"

Bonnie came up with an excuse. "We only have 30 minutes for rehearsal."

"It'll only take a minute." Elena persisted. "Please?"

Bonnie sighed and nodded in the direction of the door. They left, leaving Stefan, Emma, and Caroline alone. Caroline smiled politely at the two and walked off.

Emma turned to Stefan, seeing him frown. "Hey." He looked at her. "Don't take it what Bonnie did the wrong way. She's still hurting about Grams and everything."

Stefan nodded. "I understand." He then held out his hand. "How about I teach you how to dance a little?" Emma smiled and took his hand. They did the simple side step movements. But after a while, Stefan had a distant look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

Stefan blinked and looked down at her. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He smiled and they danced till Elena came back.

* * *

Emma was downstairs, already in her dress, waiting for Elena to come down. "Come on, Elena! We're going to be late!" she called up. Then someone knocked on the door and she opened it to see Alaric all dressed up. "You look nice, Rick." she complimented.

Alaric smiled. "Thanks. You too." He came inside and fixed his jacket.

"So I heard you're driving us." Emma said, closing the door behind him.

He nodded. "Yeah. Is, uh, Elena almost ready? I kinda need to talk to her."

Emma shrugged. "I have no idea. What's wrong?"

"It's about Stefan."

Before Emma could respond, Elena came down the stairs, holding her dress. "Hey!" she said.

Alaric smiled. "Hey, here let me get that." He grabbed the dress and Elena replied with a 'thanks'. "Um," He snuck a quick glance at Emma. "how is Stefan?"

Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You know, he seems on edge."

Emma understood what he was getting at. Stefan must have done something out of the ordinary to make Alaric worried. Stefan has everything under control, he gave them his word. They put their trust in him. They don't have anything to worry about. Elena confirmed her thoughts when she responded to Alaric.

"He went through a lot, he was in bad shape for a while. But he's bouncing back now." she said. Alaric stared at her skeptically.

"Alaric." The three turn to see John walk in from the kitchen, already dressed in his suit. "Hey, Buddy. What are you doing here?"

Alaric responded as Jenna came down the stairs. "Well, I'm the chauffeur."

"I thought I was driving." John said.

"Oh, no need." Jenna said. She looked at Alaric. "We're going with Rick." She smiled at him.

Emma intervened the conversation. "Are we ready?" she asked.

Jenna nodded and Elena and Emma made their way towards the door. But before they walked out, Jenna turned to John. "Jeremy can ride with you."

* * *

"Thanks for helping, guys." Elena said, having Jenna curl her hair and Emma helping her choose her makeup.

"Why thank you, but I wouldn't thank Jenna until we know for sure that your hair doesn't burn off." she joked. Elena laughed, and Jenna sent a glare but laughed nonetheless. "Hey, Elena, remember when Mom found out that you were applying for this? She was so excited."

"And Elena, if I recall." Jenna inputted.

Elena sighed. "I was. She made it sound like so much fun. Lots has changed since then."

Jenna moved some hair around. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's a little late for cold feet."

Elena carefully shook her head so that she wouldn't get hurt. "I don't have cold feet. I just. . . I think I'd be enjoying it a lot more if she was here." Emma looked down, wishing for the same thing.

Jenna looked between the girls, sadden by their sorrow looks. "I'll tell you one thing, your hair would have a better chance if she was."

That brought small smiles on the girl's faces. Elena began to get up. "Okay, I should go put my dress on."

"Can I help?" Emma asked. Elena nodded.

"Alright, I'm gonna head down and get a drink." Jenna said, before leaving.

When the Gilbert sisters entered the dressing room, they saw Amber pacing back and forth. "Are you okay?" Emma asked.

Amber nervously laughed. "I hate being the center of attention. I get panic attacks."

Elena pointed towards the door. "Do you want some privacy so you can change?"

"Actually, I'm just- I'm just going to go get some air."

Emma moved out of her way as she left. She looked at Elena and shrugged. "Go get your dress on." Elena nodded and went to the mirror where in hung. Emma turned only to jump when she saw Damon. Her shock was quickly replaced with annoyance."Ugh, you. You know you're not allowed back here."

Damon had a serious expression. "Don't care. We need to talk."

"Does it have to be right now?" Elena asked, gesturing to her dress.

Damon advanced towards the girls. "Normally, I would have a completely different out look on what I'm about to tell you but since it could really inconvenience me, I'll squeal."

"Damon, what are you talking about?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.

"Stefan's still drinking human blood." he informed.

"What?!" Elena and Emma said at the same time, both shocked to here this.

Damon nodded. "Yeah. A month ago, I would have rejoiced. But with the council back on the alert, it is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle." he stressed.

Elena shook her head, trying not to believe this. "I know he's been a little edgy but he said that was normal."

"He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house."

"Oh my god." Emma said. She looked over at Elena and guided her to the couch when Emma noticed her state. Emma looked up at Damon. "Has he really gotten that bad?"

Damon nodded. "He has no idea what normal is. His entire existence isn't normal. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood. But he spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning how to control it. And now it's controlling him instead."

Elena ironically laughed. "I can't believe this. I mean, it's Stefan we're talking about here."

"Stefan on human blood, Elena. He'll do anything, he'll say anything, because he's not going to want to stop. Trust me." He explained. All what Damon said made everything Emma thought go out the window.

Elena stood up. "This is all my fault. I'm the one who fed him the blood in the first place."

"Elena. . ." Emma began but stopped when Stefan entered the room.

Stefan put his hands in his pockets. "Uhh. . . what's going on in here?"

All Emma and Elena could do was stare at him as Damon explained. "Just filling the girls in on your extracurricular activities."

Stefan at first looked as if he was caught, but quickly brushed it off by softly laughing. "What are you talking about?"

"I know about the blood, Stefan." Elena said.

Damon grabbed Emma's hand. "We're gonna be downstairs, me drinking." He guided Emma out the room and down the stairs.

Emma protested on the way down. "But, Damon, I wanted to stay!"

Damon shook his head as they went in the direction of the bar. "That conversation has to be between them." Emma sighed, seeing that he was right. Damon looked at her and rolled his eye. "Wait here." He left to got up to the bar and shortly came back with two tall glasses. "Here you go." he said, handing it to Emma.

She looked at Damon, then at the glass, and back at Damon. "You do realize that I'm 12, right?" she asked.

Damon rolled his eyes once more. "Relax, Little Gilbert, it's apple cider."

Emma still hesitantly took a sip. When the liquid hit her tongue, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "It is apple cider."

Damon shook his head and also took a sip of his beverage. The two stayed and chatted, Emma slowly, very slowly, warming up to him. She noticed that yes, he came be a complete jerk and not care about others feelings or pain, but deep down, he has a soft spot that comes out mostly for Stefan. Emma hopes that one day, it'll expand.

Everyone soon gathered around the dance floor and Emma noticed that Stefan wasn't where all the other escorts were supposed to be. She leaned over to Damon. "Where's Stefan?" she whispered.

Damon did a quick look around before responding. "I don't know."

The contestants began coming down the stairs, one by one. It was going to be Elena's turn and Stefan still couldn't be found. It was Elena's turn. "Miss Elena Gilbert, escorted by Stefan Salvatore." Elena made her way downstairs, frowning when she didn't see Stefan.

Emma looked at Damon and instantly had an idea. "Replace Stefan." she said and pushed Damon in the direction of the stairs.

Damon led Elena to the dance floor and Emma left to search for Stefan while everyone was distracted. She looked everywhere. The entire upstairs and downstairs. He was nowhere to be found. Emma sighed, about to give up when she looked out a window with a view of the forest. Haven't checked out there, she thought and went outside.

She walked around for sometime. Stumbling over twigs from time to time. It was starting to get dark when Emma threw in the towel. She sighed and turned around but stopped when she heard a girl.

"Help me!" Emma turned to see Amber run up to her, blood dripping down her neck.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" Emma asked, grabbing onto Amber's arms to guide her to the house.

Amber shook her head. "No, this guy kept biting my neck."

Emma's eyes widened. Only one name entered her mind. Stefan. He could be anywhere. "Okay we need-" she was interrupted when Stefan appeared before them. Emma pushed Amber towards the house. "Run!" She blocked Stefan's path when he tried to follow. "Stefan listen to me, you need to calm down."

Stefan stared at her. "I can't, Emma. I need more." He blurred in front of her and roughly grabbed her arms. "I need more."

Emma shook her head, tears slowly forming. "Stefan, don't. You promised me you were not like to others. Don't do this." She tried to get away but it was no use.

"I'm sorry." He whispered before leaning down and biting down on her neck.

Emma screamed. The feeling of his fangs tearing the flesh of her neck was excruciating. "Stefan, stop." she sobbed out.

But Stefan ignored her plea. He grunted in delight when he tasted her sweet blood. But the more blood he sucked, the faster she grew weaker. Emma felt relief when she heard Elena's voice.

"Stefan!" she called out. Stefan ripped his face out of Emma's neck and turned around, her blood dripping from his mouth. Emma fell on the floor, barely able to keep her eyes open. She couldn't hear very well, only a loud ringing noise. She saw Elena, Bonnie, and Damon standing before Stefan and herself, Elena looking down at her with fear. She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and closed them, loosing conscious.

* * *

Groaning softly, Emma slowly opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling above her. Instantly, she knew she wasn't at home, but couldn't place it. Emma looked down and saw she was laying on a couch and she turned her head to the side to see a huge fireplace. There was only one place she knew that had a fireplace that big. The boarding house. She lifted her hand and touched her neck, feeling nothing. Damon must have gave her some blood. Sighing, she brought her legs over the side of the couch and tried to stand. But her legs didn't have enough strength and she began to fall forward.

Suddenly, she was caught by a pair of arms. "Whoa, there." She looked up to see Damon. He guided her back on the couch and sat her down. "Try not to stand. You're still kinda weak."

Emma nodded lightly, careful not to cause more pain to her pounding head. "Okay. What happened?" she asked.

Damon sat next to her. "Well, after Elena, Bonnie, and I got to you, you past out from losing a lot of blood. Then I brought you here before Sheriff Forbes came."

It was silent for some time. Then Emma made the bold move to ask, "Where's Stefan?"

Damon played with his ring. "He is trapped in a cell downstairs where he can't get out." He paused and continued. "Elena's down with him, too."

"How is she?" Emma asked, itching to see her sister.

Damon let out a laugh. "Better than I thought she would." Damon saw Emma make the move to get up and quickly stopped her. "I told you that you shouldn't stand up."

Emma pushed him away and started to walk in a random direction. "I want to see Elena." She heard Damon sigh and put her arm around his neck. He led her to the basement and down where the cell was. When Elena's sitting figure came into view, Emma broke from Damon's grasp and sat next to her. "Hi." she said, bringing her legs up.

Elena put her arm on Emma's shoulders. "Hey. How're you doing?"

Emma shrugged. "I really don't know." She pointed to the steel door. "Are you sure locking Stefan up is going to help him?"

Elena stared at it. "It has to." Emma nodded and rested her head on Elena, staring at the door as well.


	7. Blood Brothers

Emma watched by the cell door as her sister knelt by Stefan's cot. It's been days since they locked him in and so far, Stefan hasn't responded to anything they would say, just stares off into space. It really worried her. How long can this keep going? How long will it be till Stefan is back to his normal self?

Damon grabbed onto Elena's shoulders and pulled her out of the cell after she said to Stefan that she loved him. All Stefan did was stare at them as the door closed. He turned around with his back toward them when Damon locked the door. Emma sighed and crossed her arms. "It's so hard to see him locked up like this."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, blame your sister. She's the one who locked him up."

Elena looked away from the cell door's small window and glared at him. "You helped."

"I couldn't have him running around chewing on people while the town was looking for vampires, now, could I?" Damon retorted.

Elena put her arms on her waist. "So what you're saying is that you don't care." she said, raising her eyebrows.

Damon pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against. "You're thing. Not mine." He walked away and went upstairs.

Emma immediately followed behind him, leaving Elena. When the two were in the living room, Damon picked up the compass Pearl gave him. "Did you figure out what that was?" she asked, standing next to him.

Damon twirled it in his fingers. "Nope. Whatever it is, it doesn't work."

Emma grabbed it, inspecting it herself. "Are you sure? Pearl didn't say anything about it?"

Elena walked in when Damon replied. "She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but it was a pocket watch. That Jonathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist." Emma and Elena chuckled a little. Emma gave the watch back to Damon and helped Elena pack their clothes. "Have you guys spoken to your uncle lately?" Damon asked.

"We've been avoiding him, actually." Elena said, stuffing jeans in her bag. "That, and we've been here most nights."

"So you're staying again tonight?"

Emma looked up from her clothes. "Is that a problem?"

Damon turned to them. "Yes. You both are complete nuisance. Especially you." Damon pointed to Emma.

Elena rolled her eyes at the vampire's comment. "See you later. Come on, Emma."

Emma followed to the door. "Bye, grandpa." She smiled innocently when she saw that Damon was glaring at her.

* * *

Emma and Elena arrived back home after a day school. The sisters grabbed their bags they used to stay at the Salvatore house. Elena opened her phone and dialed Damon's number. "Hey, I'm just grabbing some clothes, and we'll be right over." She leaned down and picked up a shirt. She handed the phone to Emma. "Can you talk to him, for a sec?" Emma nodded and Elena turned to put things in her bag.

"Hey, Damon. How's Stefan." she said into the receiver.

 _"Extra broody. Hold on."_ There was silence till she heard Damon's voice again. _"He won't eat anything."_

Emma sat on Elena's bed, crossing her feet. "He has to. Does he have. . . some sort of preference. . ."

 _"What are you getting to?"_

Emma sighed. "What's the animal blood he prefers?" Elena gave Emma a weird look but the younger Gilbert dismissed it.

 _"Ew. Gross. Didn't think you would ask that."_ Damon joked.

"Not helping, Damon."

 _"Well, it helps me. Tell your sister to hurry up. I can't baby-sit all night. I have things to do."_

"Like walk around being a complete jerk to everyone?" Emma said, smiling.

 _"Ha. Ha."_ Damon said. She heard him sigh. _"Stefan likes. . . puppy blood."_ Emma's eyes widened. _"Little golden retriever puppies with cute, fluffy ears. That's his favorite."_ She could practically hear Damon smirking.

She hung up the phone and tossed it away from her. Elena looked at her again. "What happened?"

Emma shook her head. "Damon happened. Hurry, we need to get back."

Elena nodded and closed the closet door only to jump when she say John standing at the room's door. "Uncle John. I didn't see you there."

John entered the room, much to the girl's displeasure. "I thought we could talk. We haven't had a chance to catch up."

Emma got up from the bed. "Well, I'll just-"

"No, you can stay. It partly involves you." John said, stopping her from leaving. "It won't take long anyways."

"What did you want to talk about?" Elena asked, unsure as to why Emma had to stay.

John picked up at picture of their parents. "Well. . . I know you know."

Emma's eyes widened, understanding at what he was talking about. Why would he decide to confess what he knows now? What's he up to?

"Know what?" Elena asked, slightly confused.

John set the picture down and looked a Elena. "It's really silly to keep pretending." Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you think your mother would say if she knew you were dating a vampire?"

That caught Elena by surprise. She quickly recovered though, and retorted, "Which mother?" Elena gave one final glance at John before leaving the room with Emma by her side.

The car ride back to the boarding house was quiet. Emma sensed that the short conversation with their not so favorite uncle got to Elena a bit. "Hey, are you okay?"

Elena's grip on the wheel tightened a bit and she sighed. "Not really. How did John know that we know?" Emma didn't say anything which made Elena a bit worried. "Emma?"

Emma looked down at her hands. "It was at the Founder's Party and, uhh, John confronted Damon and basically confessed that he knows _everything_."

Elena's eyes widened. "And by everything-"

"Vampires, witches, Kathrine." Emma looked at Elena to see her knuckles white. "Elena?"

Elena was lost in thought for some time before speaking, "I just don't know what to do right now." she said.

Emma reached out and put a hand on Elena's. "Let's just focus on Stefan, okay? He needs us." Elena nodded in agreement and continued to drive.

When they made it back to the boarding house, Elena went down to the basement to try to get Stefan to drink. That left Damon and Emma alone. The Gilbert sat quietly on the couch as Damon poured himself a glass of bourbon.

He looked at her and smirked, coming up with an idea. "You know, I managed to get the puppy bl-"

"Don't Damon." Emma said, suddenly thinking about Stefan sucking the blood from a puppy. Emma shook her head. He would not do something like that. Not to such an adorable creature. But. . . if it wasn't puppies, then was it rabbits? With their cute, white, fluffy ball of a tail? Or was it deer? Now she was thinking of Bambi. Her eyes widened. Did Stefan eat Bambi?! Damon smirked once again when he saw the expression on Emma's face, obviously knowing what she was thinking about.

"Calm down, pipsqueak." he said, plopping down next to her.

She looked at him. "Why do you keep saying stuff like that?"

Damon shrugs. "Because I know it bothers you so much." Emma gave him a look. "Ugh, fine. I'll try not to annoy you so much."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

"You don't think I can do it?" Damon said, setting his glass on the table behind the couch.

"Of course. You wouldn't last one minute without calling me a name or trying to traumatize me."

Damon rested an arm on the couches back cushion. "Fine, how about this. I bet that if I go the rest of the week without doing any of that stuff, then you have to do whatever I tell you to for a month. Like make me a glass a bourbon or bury a dead body for me. . ."

"See! This is what I mean! Fine, if you lose, you have to drive me wherever I want for also a month." She held her hand out. "Deal?"

Damon looked at the hand and back at Emma. "Deal." They shook hands, sealing the deal.

A few minutes went by before Elena came back. But by the look of her face, Emma knew it didn't go well. "El, what happened?"

Elena sat next to her and looked down at her hands. "Stefan said he wanted to starve himself."

Emma's eyes widened, yet Damon rolled his eyes. "He just being dramatic. He's not gonna starve himself."

"Why would he say that?" Elena asked. Emma wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Damon shrugged. "He feels bad about hurting that girl and pi-" He quickly stopped himself before he said 'pipsqueak'. "And Emma." Emma smiled lightly. This bet was going to be over very soon. "It's very typical Stefan martyr stuff. It will pass."

Emma looked at Damon. "Will it? He's seemed like in a lot of pain the last time I saw him."

"Yeah. Well, that will pass, too, once he eats."

Elena shook her head. "I don't think she meant physical pain."

Damon nodded. "I know what she meant." Elena looked down again. Are you two going to be okay for awhile? I have an errand with the teacher."

Emma looked at Damon, confused. "The teacher? Alaric? Are you two friends now?"

Damon got up and started to walk away. "I don't have friends."

"Right."

Damon grabbed his leather jacket from the racket. "You guys should stay up here. Don't be down there by yourself."

Elena rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine."

"You know," Damon put on the jacket and turned to the girls. "You're very trusting of him, given the circumstances."

"So are you." Emma shot back. "Or else you wouldn't be leaving."

Damon stood in thought. "I won't be long." And he was gone.

* * *

Elena had gone downstairs to check on Stefan, to try to get him to drink the blood again and Emma decided not to go with her, figuring that the couple should have sometime by themselves to work things out. So she took this moment to explore the house more. She observed all the books in the library, opened every drawer in the living room, and looked at Stefan's car. All there was for her to look at was upstairs.

She slowly climbed the steps, looking at all the pictures that hung on the walls. She looked through all the guest rooms it had. But when she made it to Damon's door, she passed it, not wanting to enter. Who knew what Damon had in his room. And the last room she didn't look at was Stefan's.

Emma has been in his room twice, when she came with Stefan to get Elena and after Stefan started to. . . drink. And those were short moments so she never really had the chance to see everything.

She slowly opened the door, peering inside the room. The first this she noticed about the room was how much it screamed Stefan. Emma walked further into to room. She saw his huge bed near the back wall and the book shelves he had. Like he could have any more book. There was guitar leaning against the wall and she smiled, imagining Stefan playing. She then walked over to the desk that was in the middle of the room. She went up to it, picking up a book that was left open. There was a line that caught her eye:

 _I lost control today._

She furrowed her eyebrows. What was this? Emma looked at the date and saw that it was written on the first day of school. She kept reading.

 _Everything I'm simply not able to resist her. I've kept buried inside came rushing to the surface. I'm simply not able to resist her._

This must have been Stefan's diary. Emma smiled. One of the things that he and Elena have in common. Did he have anymore? She set the diary down and went to one of bookshelves and took a book. She opened it to the first page to see that the date was set around the early 1900s. She opened to an entry:

 _It's hard to keep going. Just the thought of blood drives me crazy. And that makes me feel guilty to also put that burden on Damon. He didn't want this._

Emma was shocked to have read this. Stefan made Damon the way he was?

 _As I walked up to Damon, during his final moments alive, with the girl I compelled next to me, I didn't know right from wrong. I turned the switch. I didn't take into the account that I was taking away Damon's choice. I made him see the blood, smell it, taste it. It was all my fault._

Emma didn't know how to react. Finding this out, she understands why Stefan won't feed. He doesn't want to keep feeling the guilt of forcing Damon, his own brother, to become a vampire. She set the journal down and went downstairs to talk to Elena about this. When she made it back to the living room, she saw Elena and Damon talking.

Damon turned his head to her at her entrance. "Welcome, Emma. You missed story time."

Emma shook her head. "I think I know enough. Like what Stefan did to you." She stood next to Elena.

Damon shrugged and poured himself a glass of bourbon. "Well, from the moment Stefan had his first taste of human blood, he was a different person. I suppose I should thank him, it's been a hell of a ride." He let out a halfhearted laugh.

Elena came to realization. "Oh, my god. He said he wanted to die. That's why he won't feed. Now I understand why, but-"

"His choice." Damon brought his glass to his mouth. "If he's stupid enough to make it, so be it." he bluntly said.

Emma sighed. "Stop pretending not to care, Damon. We both know you do." Elena shook her head at him and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked, but Elena ignored him. He sighed and took off his jacket, tossing it on the couch. When he sat down, he beckoned Emma to come over. "Come here." Emma hesitated at first before walking up to him and sitting.

"What?" she asked, twiddling her fingers.

Damon sighed once again. "I . . . do care." Emma's head shot up in shock upon hearing this. "Yeah, yeah. I know. The big bad vampire admits it, he cares."

Emma stared at him. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked. The two hated each other. Why would he feel the need to tell some 12 year old how he feels.

Damon shrugged. "I don't know. You just seem like someone who can listen." He swirled the bourbon in his glass around. Emma opened her mouth to respond, but Elena came back, panting and holding something.

"He's gone." she said.

Emma stood up. "What?! When?" she asked.

Elena shook her head. "Probably while we were talking. He left his ring behind." She held up Stefan's daylight ring. "I think he's going to do it."

"Well, then, let's go." Emma said, heading toward the front door but was stopped by Elena. "What?"

"I should go alone. It'll make it easier." Elena said.

Emma nodded. "Okay." She hugged Elena. "Be careful." Elena pulled away after planting a kiss on Emma's head and left. The young Gilbert turned back to the couch and sat. "I hope she gets to him in time." she said, staring at the door.

"Me, too." Damon said, taking a sip. He looked at Emma, seeing her dejected look. He reached out a hand, wanting to make an attempt of comforting her, but kept it in the air, not sure if he should. His hand then slowly rested on the girl's shoulder, making Emma stare at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to make you feel better. Calm down." Emma slowly nodded, and scooted closer to Damon. She leaned onto Damon's side and rested her head on his shoulder. Damon moved his hand to her other shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "She'll get to him. Trust me." He felt her nod again and they stayed like that, staring at the fire.

It took hours before Elena and Stefan came back to the boarding house and entering the living room hand in hand. Emma shot up from her spot on the couch. "Stefan!" She smiled and brought him into a tight hug. Stefan laughed and hugged her back.

Damon stayed on the couch. "Little Boy Lost." he said.

Stefan broke from the hug and started to walk closer to Damon. Elena grabbed Emma's hand. "We'll be upstairs, okay? Good night," Emma did a little wave towards Damon before following Elena upstairs. When they got to Stefan's room, they sat on his bed.

"So, how did you get him back?" Emma asked.

Elena shrugged. "I just reminded him about the things to keep living for." Elena put her arm around Emma's shoulders. "It's going to be a bumpy road but Stefan is going to get better." Emma nodded satisfied with Elena's response. "What happened while we were gone?" Elena asked.

Emma laughed. "You wouldn't believe it but Damon tried to comfort me."

Elena scoffed. "What? Damon. The Damon? He comforted you?" Elena had a hard time imagining Damon going that. "I'm sorry but that's kinda hard to believe."

Emma nodded in agreement. "I know. Think about how I was feeling when he said he wanted to."

The girls shared a laugh. Elena glanced at the clock and saw the time. "Hey, it's getting late." She and Emma leaned back on the bed. "You should rest."

Emma snuggled closer to Elena. "Okay. Good night."

"Night."


	8. Isobel

Emma woke up, somewhat refreshed. It's weird, yes, but Stefan's back and she feels like there's nothing wrong anymore. But then again, there's still Katherine, Elena's evil vampire doppelgagner who everyone hates, and Isobel, Elena's vampire birth mother who doesn't want anything to do with her. Yup, there's nothing wrong. Emma was in the middle of getting ready for school when Elena came into her room.

"Hey, ready?" Elena asked, leaning against the door frame.

Emma went up to her dresser and pulled out a pair of socks. "Um, almost. Just give me a sec." The girl sat down and began to put them on. "How much of a control freak do you think Caroline is going to be today?"

Elena's laughed. "Very. And she's going to be very mad at us if we are late to help. Chop chop." Emma rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. The girls made it downstairs in time to see Stefan's car to pull up on the curb.

"Hey, Stef." Emma greeted as she sat in the back of the car.

Stefan smiled at her through the review mirror. "Hi, Emma." He turned to Elena. "Hi." They leaned in and kissed each other, earning an 'eww' in the background. The couple laughed and Stefan drove the car to school. The three walked out of the car to see everyone decorating and making things in preparation for Founder's Day. When they entered the lunch tables inside, they were confronted by Alaric.

"Guys, come with me. We need to talk." he said, turning around and leading the way to his classroom. The three shared glances before following behind him.

When they entered the room, Emma sat in one of the desks in the front. "So, what's wrong?" she asked, folding her hands together.

Alaric stood by his desk. "Well. . ." Alaric explained what had happened the night before of his encounter with Isobel. Ten minutes later, Damon walked through the door, making everyone glance at him. "Damon, thanks for coming."

"Sorry I'm late. he dog ate my, uh. . . never mind." He looked at the other three to see their distraught faces. "What's with the furrowed brows." he asked Alaric.

"I saw Isobel last night." Alaric said.

Damon's head shot in Alaric's direction, clearly shocked to hear that. "Isobel's here? In town?" Alaric nodded. Damon turned to Elena to see Emma having an arm around her shoulders in comfort. "Did you ask about Uncle John?"

"No."

"Are they working together?"

"No."

"No, they're not?"

"No, I didn't ask."

"What about the invention?"

"I didn't ask."

"Does she know about the tomb vampires?"

"I don't know."

Damon got frustrated and got into Alaric's face. "Did words completely escape you?"

"No, I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions." Alaric shot at him.

Damon glanced at the girls before looking back. "What does she want?"

"She wants to see me, Damon." Elena said.

Damon looked at Elena as if she was crazy. "Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants." Stefan explained.

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to." Damon said. He didn't noticed the look Stefan gave him after he said that.

"I really don't have a choice." Elena defended.

"She threatened to go on a killing spree." Emma said, shivering at the thought.

Damon's eyebrows shot up. "Oh. I take it that's. . . not okay with you guys." Damon said sarcastically. Emma glared at him and he glared back.

"I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it." Elena said. Emma squeezed her shoulder.

* * *

Emma sat on the bench in the park across from Mystic Grill with Damon and Alaric. Elena didn't want Emma to be at the meeting in case Isobel tried to hurt her. The young Gilbert was not too happy to hear this, hating being treated as a child(which she was). As for Damon and Alaric, Isobel said that they weren't allowed to enter the restaurant.

Damon walked back and forth, angrily. "We should be in there."

Alaric sighed. "Isobel was very clear. We're not to step foot inside. And we promised Elena to keep Emma safe just in case." Alaric said, crossing his arms.

Damon sat down next to Emma. "Pipsqueak can take care of herself." Damon's eyes widened. "Damn it." he said, groaning when he saw Emma's triumphed smile. "We'll talk about that later." Alaric furrowed his eyebrows, very confused about what was going on. "Anyways, it's not like I'm gonna kill her in a crowded restaurant."

"You're not gonna kill her, period." Alaric quickly said.

"She ruined your, life and you still want to protect her?" Damon asked.

"Damon, she's his wife." Damon gave a look and she closed her eyes in realization. "Was his wife." she corrected herself. "Sorry." She apologized to Alaric.

Alaric gave her a small smile. "It's okay. You're right. I looked for the woman I married, but she wasn't there. Whoever that is, is. . ." He thought about it. "cold and detached."

Damon scoffed. "Yeah, She's given up her humanity."

"Yeah, see, I don't get that. Stefan has his humanity. He's a good guy. Hell, you're a di-" He stopped himself and looked at Emma. "bad person and you kill people, but I still see something human in you. But with her, there was. . . there was nothing." Alaric vented.

Emma thought for a moment. How could that be possible? Giving up your humanity? Why would someone want to become a heartless, soulless, being? There were times when Emma thought that with Damon. When he almost turned her and when he killed John at the party. But she found out that she was wrong. Damon did feel. If he didn't, then why did he comfort her last night when Stefan was going to kill himself? Why did he help her after what happened in forest during the Miss Mystic Falls pageant? Even though he doesn't show it every much, Damon does feel.

"You can turn it off." Damon's voice broke her thoughts. "Like a button you can press. I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of 'How I Met Your Mother'. So he shuts his feeling out. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel." Alaric looked down, processing Damon's words. "Isobel chose the easier road. No guilt and shame. . . no regret. I mean come on. If you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"

"You haven't." Emma said.

"Heh. Of course I have, pipsqueak. That's why I'm so fun to be around." Damon replied. He got up and stood facing Mystic Grill again.

* * *

The meeting with Isobel did not go smoothly as Emma was hoping. Elena had come out of the restaurant, tears coming down. She and Emma had gone home and the next day Bonnie had come over, saying she felt bad about leaving and comforted Elena after finding out about Isobel. Now, the Gilbert sisters were at their school, meeting Bonnie in a classroom, telling them she had something.

"Hey. Thanks for meeting me." Bonnie said when the girls walked through the classroom door. "I wanted you guys to see this."

"Is that Emily's spell book?" Emma asked, gesturing to the book next to Bonnie.

Bonnie nodded. "I've been going through it since Grams died. Check this out." She pointed to a picture on one of the pages.

"That's the vampire compass." Elena stated.

"Yeah. According to Emily, Johnathan Gilbert never actually succeeded in inventing anything. Emily secretly spelled them all with magic; compass, rings, and the mystery device you told me about." Bonnie said, flipping the pages.

Emma looked at the picture of the box and nodded. "Yeah, that's it. Well, part of it. Damon only has the one piece."

Bonnie continued. "Emily pledged her loyalty to Katherine. But the couldn't stand by and watch innocent people get killed. This was the only way she could think of to help, to let Johnathan Gilbert believe he'd actually invented these devices."

"Does it say what it does?" Emma asked, watching Bonnie read the page.

"Are you sure this is what Isobel wants?" Bonnie asked.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah, I'm sure. Why?"

Bonnie looked at them intensely. "This is a weapon against vampires."

Emma's eyes widened. "What?" She looked at Elena to see the same expression on her face.

"We need to find Stefan." Elena said, grabbing Emma's arm and leading her outside. They walked through the crowd but could not find Stefan any where.

"Em! Elena!" The girls turned and saw Jeremy walk up to them.

"Hey, have you seen Stefan? We need to find him." Elena asked, looking around.

Jeremy shook his head. "No. Not lately. Listen, do you have a second?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. What's up? What's going on?" Elena said.

They kept walking. "Well, it's Anna. I left her all these messages, and she hasn't gotten back to me, not even a text." Jeremy said.

Emma and Elena stopped walking and turned to Jeremy. "Anna? You guys are still friends?" Emma asked, worried to hear his answer.

"Well, we're more than friends." Jeremy said quickly. "Look, something could be seriously wrong. And if you know anything, you gotta tell me." Jeremy pleaded.

"I haven't talked to her, Jer." Elena said truthfully.

Jeremy was quick to counter her statement. "Are you lying to me, right now?"

Emma saw Elena's shocked expression. "Why would you say that?" she asked, offended.

"'Cause that's what you do, Elena. You lie. You lie about everything. I know what Anna is. And I know that both of you know. So tell me, do you two have any idea where she is?" Jeremy pushed.

Emma shook her head. "Jer, we don't."

Jeremy stared at Emma, not believing her, before taking off. Emma had small tears forming when she saw his expression. Before and even after the death of their parents, Emma and Jeremy were inseparable. They told each other everything; about what was bringing them down or whatever came to mind. Even when she was living with John, they called each other and always talked about everything. They were the closest brother and sister you would ever know. And knowing that he doesn't believe her at all, hurts her. It's not like she wants to keep this from him. There were many times where she was close to telling him everything, but Elena was against it. Emma's not saying it's Elena's fault or anything because all she wants is Jeremy to be safe.

Emma went after him, ignoring Elena's calls. "Jer, please, wait." she said, squeezing through people to get to her brother. Jeremy suddenly stopped, making her bump into his back.

He turned around and glared at her. "What."

Emma stared up him. "I'm sorry, Jer. I really am."

Jeremy shook his head. "I thought we were close, Emma. We told each other everything. Do you know how hurt I felt when I found out that you and Elena were keeping this from me? Like I was stabbed in the back." He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "If you'll excuse me, I have to call Anna."

"Jer, ple-" Emma began to say but was cut off by a woman that started dragging her towards a car. "Hey let me go!" she said, fighting against the woman's grip. She saw Jeremy being dragged as well but by a man dressed in a cowboy outfit.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Emma looked over to see Isobel leaning against the car. She glared at the woman, hatred flowing out of her. Why was she not surprised that Isobel was behind this.

"Ooo, that look doesn't suit such a pretty little face." Isobel said, faking some what concern. She looked at her two companions. "Get them in the car."

With that, the Gilbert siblings were shoved inside the car, soon followed by Isobel. "Where are you taking us." Emma asked, still glaring at her. Isobel didn't say anything to her and told the driver to go. "Where are you taking us!" Emma asked once again louder.

Then in a blink of an eye, Isobel held Emma's wrist in a strong grip that made the young girl gasp in pain. "If you keep asking me pointless questions, I will break every bone in your body and then do the same to you're brother. Understand?" When Emma didn't answer, Isobel squeezed hard. "Understand." she said more sternly.

Emma nodded and Isobel released her wrist. She cradled it to her chest and leaned into Jeremy, who was sitting there, watching the encounter. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, forgetting that he was angry at her. The car stopped in front of a big fancy house after 10 minutes. The Gilberts were once again dragged out of the car into the house, where they were forced to sit down in a small library. Isobel left the room and soon Emma heard a new voice. It sounded like. . . John? The voices got closer.

"'Cause I have the next big thing." Isobel said before walking in the room, with John behind her.

Emma and Jeremy tried to get up but were shoved back down by the cowboy. John had a shock expression on his face. "What the hell are you doing?" he said, getting closer to the kids.

"Getting what I want." Isobel said.

"Yeah, but they are my niece and nephew. And you're gonna let them go right this second." John demanded.

Isobel smiled. "The gaudy ring on your finger," Isobel began, looking at John's ring. "It comes off."

John shook his head. "Come on. Come on, Isobel. I-I know you. Okay?" He got closer to her. "It's me, John. You can't hurt children."

"I'll kill them to prove you wrong." Isobel countered wickedly. Emma and Jeremy shared a look, believing that she would actually to it.

"Really? Are you that far gone?" John asked. "Look, I know you've changed. Okay? But the old Isobel is in there somewhere still. Isn't she?" Isobel was silent. "Come on. Let them go."

Isobel nodded. "Okay." Emma was a little suspicious. Would Isobel let them go? Isobel put an hand on John's arm and spoke to the cowboy and woman in french. What happened next scared Emma a lot.

John walked towards Emma and Jeremy when the woman grabbed a candle holder and hit John across the face. Emma gasped as John fell. The cowboy then kicked John in the stomach, making him grunt in pain. Emma looked up and saw Isobel sitting down, like she was enjoying the show.

"Stop it!" Emma said to Isobel. The man and woman kept going, kicking him in his side. "Stop!"

"Okay." Isobel said, holding a hand up. She reached down and grabbed John's hand, where the ring was. "Nice try, John. We'll see how you do without this." she said, taking the ring off his finger." Isobel got up and went toward the exit when she stopped. "Emma, come with me." Emma didn't move from her spot. "I said come." Isobel said forcibly.

Emma stood up and followed Isobel out of the room. The only thing that could be heard in the halls were the 'clicks' of Isobel's heels. They kept walking until they made it to another room. "Please, Emma, sit with me." Isobel said, sitting on a chair. Emma slowly walked over and sat down. "So do you li-"

"Why am I here?" Emma asked, interrupting her.

Isobel was taken back at the interruption but answered nonetheless. "So I can get what I want."

"Which would be the compass." Emma interjected.

Isobel nodded. "You're a smart girl." Isobel leaned back and crossed her legs. "Tell me, how did a young girl like you end up in all of. . . this?" she asked, playing with John's ring.

Emma slightly shrugged. "I don't know. How did a person like you become a cold hearted being?"

Isobel laughed. "Feisty. I like it. I like you, Emma. I really do. But you forget that I am a vampire and it would be a shame for me to kill you if you keep insulting me." Emma formed her hands into fists.

"Elena's not going to give it to you." the young girl said.

"Oh, I think she will if it means to save her little brother and sister." Isobel said, smirking when she saw Emma lower head in realization. "I might give you guys back, but you never know."

Emma sat quietly for sometime, coming up with some sort of plan to escape. With her head still lowered, she looked over to the front door. Then, very quickly, Emma shot up and ran for the door. She heard laughter before she felt a sharp pain on her head, making her fall deep into unconsciousness.

* * *

Emma let out a moan when she finally woke up. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she flinched away, opening her eyes. "Hey, it's okay." She looked up to see Jeremy looking down at her. That's when she started to look at her surroundings. She was on a couch. In her living room. How'd she get home? "She let us go." Jeremy said in a hushed tone. He must have seen her confused expression.

"What?" Emma asked., sitting up. She looked into the kitchen to see John sitting at the dining table with Jenna cleaning the blood off his face. "Why would she do that?"

Jeremy sighed. "Elena must have agreed to give whatever she has to her."

Emma closed her eyes. Why Elena? Why?, she thought. Right when she thought that, the house phone rang. Emma grabbed it and answered. "Hello?"

"Emma? Are you okay? Is Jeremy with you?" She heard Elena's voice in the receiver.

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine. Uncle John, uh, hit his head." Emma said, making sure not to say anything suspicious in front of Jenna. "It was an accident."

"We're all laughing." Jenna shouted.

Emma chuckled. "Yeah, but, we're okay." Emma said.

"I'll be home soon, alight?" Elena said.

Emma nodded. "Yeah." She hung up and tossed the phone in front of her. She looked over at Jeremy. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

Jeremy shrugged. "I guess."

Emma nodded once again. She looked up and stared at John who stared back. He gave her a slight nod.

"I'm going to go upstairs." Jeremy said, and left before Emma could say anything.

Emma sighed and got up from the couch, closing her eyes when she felt the pounding in her head. She slowly went up each step of the stairs to her room. She laid down on her bed. After a few moments went by, she head Elena and Jeremy arguing. She closed her eyes as tears began falling out of her eyes. Everything was starting to fall apart around her. Jeremy hates Elena and probably herself. She's hiding things from Jenna. It's like she's living two different lives. One where she's a some what normal 12 year old and another where she has to help keep vampires away. Emma just hopes that one day, everything might go back to the way it was.


	9. Founder's Day

_Emma came downstairs after waking up. She walked into the kitchen where she noticed something off. Her parents weren't there. That's weird, they're always up before, especially her mother. She wakes up early to start making breakfast for everyone._

 _Emma turned around and went back up the stairs and to her parent's room. She knock twice. "Mommy? Daddy?" she said. No answer. She knocked again. "Mommy. Daddy. Wake up." Silence. She twisted the door knob and opened the door. Their bed was empty. Where could they be? Emma walked out and went into Jenna's room to see that she wasn't there either. What's going on? She heard the front door open which made her run downstairs with a smile. But it was replaced with confusion when she only saw Jenna and Elena at the door. "Jenna, where's Mommy and Daddy?"_

 _The two looked at the young girl with tearful eyes. "Em, I think you need to sit down." Jenna said, motioning to the couch._

 _Emma furrowed her eyebrows but sat down anyways. "What's wrong?"_

 _Elena left the room, tears falling down her face. That only made Emma more confused. What's happening? "Honey, your mom and dad were in an accident." Jenna began._

 _Emma's eyes widened. "What? Are they okay? A-are they in the hospital? Can I see them?" she frantically asked._

 _Jenna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them again and looked at Emma. "They're- they're gone, Em."_

 _"What do you mean gone?" Emma asked slowly, scared of where this was leading to._

 _"They didn't survive the accident." Jenna said._

 _Tears flowed out of the young girl's eyes. They didn't survive? But they're her parents, they are supposed to live forever. "No, no, no, no. Jenna, where are they? Where are they?" she asked._

 _Jenna shook her head. "I'm so sorry."_

 _Emma let out a sob. They're gone. She'll never see them again. They won't be able to see her off to school anymore. Won't be able to hug her or kiss her or tell her goodnight. She won't be able to see they're smiles or hear their laughs. She cried even harder. Jenna wrapped her arms around Emma and brought her into a tight hug. They're gone. They're gone._

* * *

Emma woke up with a gasp. She lifted her hand to her face and felt wetness. She had cried. Who wouldn't when they dream about something like that? Emma got up and went to her mirror. Today is going to be a good day. There is absolutely nothing that is going to bring her down. It has to be a good day. It just has to.

It was Founder's Day and everyone in the town was going to be in town square celebrating it. She was going to make the most of it and try to enjoy it as well. Emma got ready and went downstairs to the kitchen. Though she was surprised when she heard loud voices.

"Happy Birthday!" Jenna, Jeremy, and Elena shouted. Elena was dressed it her costume for the Founder's Day parade and Jeremy looked like he was half way done getting ready.

Emma brightly smiled. "Come on, come on. We have your birthday pancakes made and ready for you to eat." Jenna said, guiding her to the table where a plate of steaming pancakes with syrup poured on top sat. She sat on the chair in front of it.

"Thanks, guys." Emma said, picking up a fork and taking a bite out of it. She 'mmh' in delight. "It's good. You really out done yourself, Jenna."

Jenna laughed. "You're welcome. I couldn't have done it without the help of these two who are going to clean up the mess." Jeremy groaned while Elena chuckled. "Okay so eat your food and I'll be right back." Jenna said, before leaving to go upstairs.

Jeremy handed a fairly sized box to Emma as she began to eat the pancakes. "Happy Birthday, baby sis." Emma grabbed it and opened it. She smiled and hugged Jeremy.

"Oh, my god. Thank you, Jer." What Jeremy got her was what she's been asking for for a while now. It was a book she wanted to read called, How To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. She heard a lot about it from some people she knew. "This is the best."

"Glad you like it." Jeremy said. Elena went to stand next to him but he moved out of the way, giving her a look.

Elena cleared her throat, pretending not to see it and turned to Emma. "Here, Em, something to wear on your special day." Elena gave her a box and when Emma opened it, she smiled big. The clothes she got was a beautiful light blue laced dress that would go up to her knees and light blue flats to match.

Emma hugged Elena. "It's so pretty! Thank you."

Jenna came back into the kitchen, holding a small box. "Okay, my turn." Jenna held out the box. "Happy Birthday."

Emma grabbed it. The box was small enough to hold a type some sort of jewelry. She slowly opened it and gasped at what was inside. There lay a locket that belonged to the late Miranda Gilbert. Tears formed in Emma's eyes, flashbacks of her nightmare last night coming back to her.

"She would have wanted you to have it." Jenna said, putting a hand on Emma's shoulder. Emma nodded and opened the locket. There was a picture inside of their parents.

"Thank you." Emma hugged Jenna tightly. When she pulled away, she put the locket on and stood up. "Okay, don't we have somewhere to be?"

Jenna gasped. "That's right! Okay, you," She pointed at Emma. "Quickly put your outfit on. You," She pointed at Jeremy. "Once Em's done, we are going to go. You have someone to ride with, right?" Jenna asked. Jeremy nodded. "Alright, hurry."

* * *

"Ow. This dress hurts." Elena said, as she and Emma walked around, looking for Stefan.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Quit being a baby." They continued to search when they finally found Stefan, who was standing next to Damon. The two vampires couldn't stop staring at Elena, probably because of how much she reminded them of Katherine. Elena did a small curtsy. They met each other half way.

"Hi." Stefan greeted, mostly looking at Elena in awe.

Elena smiled. "Hi." They stared into each other's eyes while Emma and Damon shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, we are going to go." Damon said, grabbing onto Emma's wrist and taking her away.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, Damon. What are you doing?" He took her towards the floats.

Damon sighed. "Listen, we need to let Stefan and Elena have a private moment. He's going to tell her something important."

"Like what?"

Damon stopped walking and turned to her. "It would appear that Uncle John is really Daddy John." Damon said.

Emma's eyes widened. "What?! As in, Elena's dad?!" she exclaimed.

"No, as in the Cookie Monster, yes, Elena's dad." Damon said, rolling his eyes at the same time.

Emma looked over at where Stefan and Elena were at to see her distraught look. "Is it even possible?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. They dated when Isobel was a teenager and he took her to your father's clinic for delivery. It makes sense." Damon explained.

Emma huffed. "That's so strange. I mean he's my Uncle. That would mean Elena's technically my cousin." She put her hands on her head. "This is crazy." she said.

Damon looked at her and where Elena and Stefan were, then back at her. "I think Elena's taking this better than you are."

Emma rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She spotted Jeremy. "I'm going to go talk to Jeremy." She left before he could say anything. As she walked to Jeremy, people would smile at her and say 'Happy Birthday'. "Hey, Jer." she said when she got to him.

"Hey, Birthday Girl. How's your day so far?" he asked.

Emma shrugged. "It's alright." They walked in silence. "Are you still mad?"

Jeremy sighed and stopped walking. "Not as much towards you, mostly Elena."

"Jeremy, you know Elena didn't really want to take away your memory. She was just trying to protect you." Emma defended.

"I don't need protecting, Em. I can take care of myself." Jeremy said.

Emma crossed her arms. "Just talk to her, okay? There has to be someway for her to fix this."

Jeremy shook his head. "You can't fix something like this that easily. Something like this doesn't just get fixed." he said. He turned around and let Emma standing there, watching after him.

* * *

Emma stood next to Bonnie as they watched the parade.

Carol Lockwood stood on a stage. "Let's give a big hand for Mystic Fall's High School Marching Band!" Emma and Bonnie cheered and clapped with the crowd. "And for a little local history, Mr. Saltzman's students have recreated Virginia's battle of willow creek." Emma laughed when she saw Taylor pretend to shoot Jeremy. And now the best part of the parade was coming. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our stunning Miss Mystic Falls court and their handsome escorts." Caroline, Matt, Stefan, and Elena waved at the crowd from the float. "This is Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls." Everyone cheered. Emma managed to catch Elena and Stefan's attention and waved at them. They smiled and waved back.

Emma looked at Bonnie. "Hey, I heard that you deactivated the device. Who knows what Isobel would do if it really worked."

Bonnie looked at Emma with a sad expression. "Yeah." They didn't talk for a bit till Bonnie spoke again. "Oh, my gosh. Happy Birthday, Em!" Bonnie said. She opened her arms out and engulfed the birthday girl in a tight hug. "I completely forgot your present at home. I'll give it to you tomorrow, I promise."

Emma smiled. "Thanks, Bon." As they pulled apart, Damon appeared, making Emma roll her eyes. "What do you want, Damon?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Nothing that concerns you, pipsqueak." Damon said turning away from the girl to Bonnie. Though Bonnie began to walk away. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Away from you." Bonnie said.

'Oh, please don't leave, Bonnie." Emma pleaded.

Damon caught up to the witch. "I need to say something to you."

Bonnie turned around. "Just leave me alone."

"Thank you." Damon said. That caught Emma by surprise. It's not everyday that Damon goes around and thanks everyone for what they did for him. "The device that Emily spelled could have killed me. I don't take what you did lightly, so. . . thank you." Damon said.

"I did it for Elena and Emma." Bonnie said. When the witch found out that Emma had been taken by Isobel, she was quick to do the spell to get the young girl back.

Damon looked down. "I know that, but I'm still very grateful. And. . . I owe you." Emma watched Bonnie's reaction to see she looked kind of. . . guilty. "Enjoy the parade." Damon said, walking off.

Emma stared after him. Damon really is changing. "Let's cheer for the Mystic Falls high school football team. All right! Let's show them our support everybody." Carol cheered. Emma turned back to the parade, and clapped.

* * *

Emma was walking around when she saw Stefan, Damon, and Jeremy talking to each other. But to the young girl, it didn't look like a happy conversation.

"You shouldn't have made me forget." She heard Jeremy say before he walked off.

"What happened." she asked, crossing her arms.

Stefan shook his head. "Nothing. Jeremy's alight. I'm going to go find Elena. Oh, and Emma, Happy Birthday." he said with a smile before walking away as well.

Emma turned to Damon, arms still crossed. "It's your birthday?" he asked. Emma stared at him with an accusing expression. "What? Look, your was being a punk." he defended.

"That's none of your business, Damon. Just let Elena and I handle our brother. Okay?" Emma said, trying to reason with him.

Damon thought for a minute before sighing and nodding his head. "Okay." Once he said that, he saw Stefan come back. "Ugh, great. Looks like brother dear isn't done lecturing me. Scram." Damon said, waving his hands as to shoo her away.

Emma scoffed but left nonetheless, clearly annoyed that she is still treated like a little girl.

* * *

"You won! Congratulations! This is for you." the guy working the bean bag stand said. He handed Emma a small stuffed animal.

She smiled, mumbling a 'thank you' before walking away.

As she walked, she heard booms and saw that fireworks were in the sky. She smiled and watched with everyone else. Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw someone fall to the floor, clutching their head. She went to go to him but was pushed aside by some police officers. Though, when Emma fell, she hither head against a rock that was circling around a tree. She groaned and brought a hand to her head, feeling the pain pounding inside. Her vision was blurred because of tears forming from the pain. She felt people stop next to her.

"Another one." One of them said.

"Hey, isn't this a Gilbert?" A different voice asked.

"Doesn't matter. We have orders to get all of them."

She felt a light pinch on her arm but remained the same. Then, she felt herself being picked up and moved to who know where. After about a minute, she was set down. The smell of gasoline filled her lungs. When the people walked away, she knew she wasn't alone. Blinking multiple times, she looked around.

There were many bodies scattered around, all moaning and trying to get up. Not far from her, she saw Damon laying in the middle of the room and Anna next to him. But when she looked closely, she saw a stake plunged into Anna's chest. And then she heard splashing on the stairs. That's when the flames formed.

Emma gasped when she saw fire spread all around the room. She slowly crawled towards Damon, careful not to the vampires. "Damon." she breathed out when she was a foot behind him.

His head snapped in her direction. "What are you doing here?" he asked, shocked and worried that Emma was in there.

Emma coughed, the smoke from the fire made it difficult for her to breath. "I hit my head on a rock. I think they miss took me for a vampire." she responded, only to cough even more.

Damon reached an arm out and pulled her closer to him, to protect her from the flames. "Small breaths, small breaths." he instructed, glancing up at the basements stairs. Stefan, where are you?, he thought.

Emma tried her best not to breath so much but it was not easy. She looked around the room again, only to spot the Mayor's dead body not far from her. She gasp at the sight but that made her start to cough uncontrollably.

"Come on, Em. Breath slowly." Damon said, rubbing her arms. Just then, a beam from the ceiling fell next to them, making Damon pull Emma closer to her. Damon looked around, trying to find some way to get Emma out of there.

"Emma! Damon!"

Damon turned to see Stefan standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the two. He ran over and lifted Damon up to stand. "Come on." Stefan said and he sped out of there with them, using his vampire speed.

Emma took in a deep breath and coughed when she felt cool air. She looked up to see Damon already staring at her. "Are you okay?" he asked, his face covered with worry. Emma nodded in reply and hugged him, which he generously accepted.

"Oh, my god, Emma." Elena said, when she saw the state her sister was in. She went up to the young girl and pulled her into her arms. "Are you hurt? Anything broken. How'd you even get in there?" Elena frantically asked, checking Emma to make sure she was alright.

Emma slowly nodded, her head still hurting. "I'm fine, Elena." she said, in a small voice.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Em. I'm so sorry." Elena apologized, bringing Emma into a hug.

Emma hugged back, tightening her arms around Elena's waist. Emma looked around her sister as they hugged to see Bonnie standing behind them, looking down at the cement, ashamed and guilty for what she had gone. The Gilbert just shook her head and closed her eyes, feeling safe.

Elena ran her hands in Emma's hair, only to feel wetness. She pulled her hand away to see blood on her finger tips. "Emma, you're bleeding!" Elena said, catching everyone's attention.

Emma touched the spot Elena did and saw the blood on her fingers. "Oh, yeah. I, uh, hit my head." The more she thought about the pain, the more it hurt. She closed her eyes, her face showing how much it hurt.

Elena looked desperately at the Salvatores. "We need to take her to the hospital."

Damon walked forward. "I'll take her." He bent down and held Emma bridal style. He began to walk away but stopped when he made eye contact with Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Emma, feeling worse. Damon tightened his hold on Emma and left, using his vampire speed to get to the hospital.


	10. The Return

Emma sat on a hospital bed as her doctor finished stitching her cut on her head.

"Alright, Emma, good as new. I suggest getting plenty of rest and try not to do any quick movements or anything." the doctor instructed after he was done. "Now, keep this on the cut while we wait for your family to arrive." he said, handing her an ice pack.

After Damon walked away with Emma in his arms, he dropped her off at the hospital, informing the nurses of her condition. Though he did not stay for long, only to make sure that she was being taken care of before he left. And that was the last time she saw anyone she knew. So after the doctor left, she got up and walked around to stretch her legs after sitting down for so long. As she walked, she noticed Matt sitting on a chair, staring off into space.

"Matt?" she called, scaring the football player out of his daze. She sat down next to him. "Why are you here? What's wrong?"

Matt shook his head. "It's Caroline, Em." Emma's eye's widened. "She- we were driving and Tyler heard this noise."

"A noise?" Emma asked, getting suspicious as to why Tyler somehow was affected by the device.

Matt rubbed his face. "And he got this migraine or something. And he lost control of the car. And I thought that Caroline was fine," Matt explained. Emma looked down at her hands, scared to hear what else happened. "And then- and then she wasn't, so. . ." Matt trailed off, not sure how to continue.

Emma brushed tears that were falling out her eyes with her one hand. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. I mean, this is Caroline we're talking about." Emma said, trying to see the bright side of this. Though it was no use as more tears fell.

"How's Caroline?" They heard, and turned to see Bonnie standing next to them with a worried expression.

Matt opened his mouth to answer but couldn't get any words out. Emma stood up, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, I'll tell her." Emma grabbed onto Bonnie's arm and pulled her aside to where Matt couldn't hear their conversation.

Bonnie noticed the young girl's tear stained face. "Don't tell me that-"

"She's not." Emma interrupted. "All I know is that They were in an accident with Tyler and that Caroline was hurt kind of bad." Bonnie's eyes formed tears. "Listen, Bonnie, there's something else. Matt said that- that Tyler heard a noise."

Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows. "A noise?" She sniffled. "How? He's not a vampire."

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. That's all I know." Emma said, putting her free arm under the arm that was holding the ice pack in a tempt to cross her arms.

Bonnie noticed the ice pack. "How's your head?" she asked.

Emma looked down at her feet. "It hurts."

"Em-"

"Don't, Bonnie." Emma said, feeling a new found anger inside her. She hadn't thought about what happened that night till the moment she started talking to the Bennett witch. Bonnie lied to all of them. Because of that, Damon and herself were almost burned alive. And she wasn't supposed to be there in the first place! "Just, don't, okay?" Emma turned and walked away, leaving Bonnie by herself.

* * *

"Emma."

Emma had been in the waiting room after being told more about Caroline's current condition from Sheriff Forbes when she turned to see her sister walking up to her.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Elena asked, holding onto Emma's elbows. Emma shrugged and clutched the ice pack tighter. Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

Emma looked at her sister with sad eyes. "You heard about Caroline, right?" Elena nodded in response. "Well, uh, they said that she's weak. And that they don't know if she's going to make it."

Elena stared at her in disbelief. "What?" she asked as Emma wrapped her arms around her. The older Gilbert noticed Bonnie not that far away. When Emma pulled away, Elena went up to Bonnie. "Is there something you can do? Like a spell or something?" she asked desperately.

Bonnie was about to answer when Damon came out from behind a corner. "She doesn't know how. Do you?" he said, stepping closer.

Bonnie shook her head. "No. I don't."

"No, you don't." Damon continued as Emma and Elena sighed in defeat. "Because it took Emily years to lean a spell like that."

Bonnie gave Damon an annoyed look. "Oh, well, I can take down a vampire. That spell was easy to learn."

Damon turned away from the witch to face Emma and Elena. "I can give Caroline some blood."

"What? No, way." Elena said, quick to shoot down his idea.

"No, no, no, just enough to heal her. She'll be safe in the hospital, and it'll be out of her system in a day. She'll be better, Elena." Damon reasoned.

Elena crossed her arms. "It's too risky. I can't agree to that."

"Elena." Emma said, earning the attention of all three. "Let him do it." Elena opened her mouth to protest but Emma stopped her again. "Do you want Caroline to die knowing that there was some sort of way to save her?" she asked. Elena looked over at Bonnie for some sort of support but Bonnie nodded, agreeing with Emma.

"Do it." Bonnie said to Damon.

"If I do this, you and me," He gestured to the two of them. "call a truce." He gave her a smug smile.

"No." Bonnie said, making the smile fall of his face. "But you'll do it anyway. For Elena"

Emma looked at Bonnie in confusion. Why would Damon do it for Elena? He doesn't care about anything, much less about what happens to her sister. She heard Elena sigh and looked at her to see her nodded lightly. Bonnie walked away.

The young girl watched her leave but when she looked back at Damon, she saw him doing something weird with his face. "What?"

Damon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you walk away please? I need to have a grownup conversation with Elena."

"Bu-"

"Go." Damon enforced, pointing down the hall.

Emma groaned and walked off, strangling Damon in her head. She was about 25 feet away from the two when she saw Jenna run up to her.

"Oh, my god, Emma. Are you okay?" she asked, lifting the ice pack up slowly and scrunching her nose at the stitches.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jenna. Just hit my head on a rock when I fell." Emma said, rocking on the back of her feet.

Jenna shook her head. "You gave me a huge scare, you know that right? I mean everyone is giving me a scare today, first you, then Elena's call about John an-" Jenna rambled on but Emma stopped her when she heard about John.

"Wait, what happened to John." she asked.

Jenna sighed. "Someone broke into the house and John was hurt, really bad." Emma was shocked. Sure, no one liked John but he was still family and these days, Emma cherished family a lot. "Come on, I need to talk to Elena." Jenna held Emma's hand and they walked over to Elena where she seemed confused about something. "Elena, I came as soon as I got your message." Jenna said. "How's John?"

"Where have you been?" Elena asked.

"At the fire department, I had to fill out a report. I told you earlier." Jenna responded, though looked at Elena like she was a little crazy.

"No, you didn't." Elena stated.

"Yes, I did." Jenna argued.

"No, Jenna, you didn't."

"Yes, I did." Jenna said firmly.

There was silence for sometime before Damon groaned. "Ohh. Mmm, you gotta be kidding me." he said, looking at the three. He turned and left without another word.

Elena went after him and Emma made the same move but Jenna stopped her. "No, missy, I have to talk to your doctor and you are coming with me." Jenna said.

"But, Jenna! I've been here for like ever. I want to leave, please!" Emma begged, slowly inching toward Damon and Elena's retreating forms.

Jenna sighed. "Fine, go."

Emma smiled and ran off after them. "Hey, wait." Emma called.

Elena turned and saw Emma coming. "Em-"

"I'm 13 years old, Elena, not a toddler who's still learning how to walk." Emma said, walking past Elena and out the hospital door with Damon. They got in the vampire's car and drove to the Gilbert house. When they walked in, they saw Stefan on the floor, grunting in pain.

"Stefan?" Elena said.

Stefan got up, breathing heavily, and looked at Elena. "Elena."

"W-what happened?" Emma asked, concerned.

"Katherine happened." Damon responded, looking around the room.

* * *

"So what you're saying is that Elena's evil vampire doppelganger, Katherine, is here in Mystic Falls and decided to trick people into thinking that she's Elena." Emma recapped after hearing Stefan's encounter with the said vampire. Elena had gone upstairs to have a well deserved talk with Jeremy and the young Gilbert and Salvatore brothers went into the kitchen to talk.

"Apparently. What I'd like to know is why. Did she say what she wanted?" Damon asked Stefan who was pacing back and forth.

"No."

Damon glanced at his brother before looking back at Emma. "Woman certainly knows how to make an entrance."

Stefan stopped in front of the island, which Emma had been sitting on top of. "She said she fooled one of us at least."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She pretended to be Elena, too, when I showed up earlier tonight." Damon answered, though it seemed like he was holding back on some information.

Emma heard footsteps coming. "I told Jeremy." Elena said.

"Finally," Emma muttered, learning a look from Damon. "Well, I'm right. Jeremy had every right to know everything as I did. Keeping him in the dark was a horrible idea." she said, crossing her arms.

Elena nodded. "Yes, you're right. I'm can't lie to him anymore."

Stefan walked up to Elena. "Are you alright?" he asked, rubbing Elena's forearms.

Elena shook her head. "No, I'm not. I thought that with all the tomb vampires gone, things would get better."

"I know. We all did." Stefan said.

"Oh, my god." Emma said, as she realized a crucial piece of information. Everyone looked at her, wondering about her sudden outburst. "Guys," she began. "Katherine was invited in. She can come in here at anytime. What are we going to do?"

"Move." Damon said, smirking at the end.

"Yes, Damon, we'll move. Now, what's your plan on how to explain to Jenna about the sudden need to leave." Emma retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Listen, Katherine wants Elena dead, there's zero you can do about it, she would be dead. But she's not. Clearly, she has other plans." Damon said.

Elena sat down on the dining room table as Stefan stood behind her. "Right, and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke her in the process."

Emma swung her legs back and forth, and rested her cheek on her shoulder as she glanced at Damon. "Hey, Damon, what happened when you thought Katherine was Elena?" she asked.

Damon looked at Emma as if he wanted to duck tape her mouth closed, which in his mind he really wanted to do. His eyes went over at Stefan and Elena who were waiting for his response. "To risk another. . . frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead." Emma sighed at Damon's attempt in stalling. "We. . . kissed."

Uh oh, Emma thought as her eyes widened. She quickly looked over at Stefan to see that he was trying to keep his cool, though it seemed it like he was having a little trouble. "And you thought it was me?" Elena asked, crossing her arms on the table.

"What do you mean, you kissed?" Stefan inquired.

Damon's probably going to make some sort of jo- Emma began to think when Damon started talking. "Well, you know, when 2 lips pucker," There it is. "and they. . ." Damon made puckering noises. Then in a flash, Stefan vamped over to Damon, but the older vampire had seen it coming and vamped over to Stefan's previous spot. "Don't be obvious, Stefan."

Stefan made a move to go at him again but Emma quickly jumped do from the island and stood in front of him at the same time Elena stood up from her chair. "Stefan, he kissed Katherine. Not me." Elena said. She turned around and looked at Damon. "I wouldn't do that."

The small smirk on Damon's face had vanished when Elena said those words, and Emma felt bad for him. "Can we please get back to the matter at hand, guys?" Emma said, quickly changing the subject before Stefan or Damon could do something stupid.

"Later." Stefan told Damon, who nodded in agreement.

"John must know something. There has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill him." Elena said.

"She's Katherine." Damon said, shooting down at Elena's idea of talking to John. He leaned against the kitchen door's frame. "She loves to play games, and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what she's up to before she wants you to know."

Stefan stepped up. "No, actually, Elena's right. John could know something through Isobel." Damon's face had a sour look. "Your mother, she was in touch with Katherine, so maybe we can go to the hospital. And talk." Stefan suggested.

"I got a better idea." Damon stated, sounding bored.

Emma rolled her eyes. "And what's that, oh smart one?"

"I'm just going to ignore the bitch. Whoops, language." Damon said, covering his mouth, though his eyes glinted with mischief. "See ya."

"Is that smart?" Elena asked, worried about his plan.

Damon crossed his arms. "If Katherine thinks she's being ignored, it'll lure her out. She'll make a move." He smirked.

"Yeah, then what?" Stefan asked.

Damon thought for a moment before replying. "Stake her, rip her head off. Something poetic, we'll see." Damon started to walk away. "Oh, and Emma, I'm picking you up tomorrow so be ready by 10:30."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "What? Why?"

Damon slightly turned around. "Because, big sister would not want you to be at the investigation with John, in case things get rough. So I'm taking the liberty in driving you to the Mayor's memorial get together(A/N I have no idea what to call it)." Emma looked at Elena, to see if what he said was true and sure enough, Elena was giving her the 'I'm sorry' look. Emma scoffed and turned back to Damon to see him smirking once again. "10:30." he said and he left.

Of course Elena doesn't want her to come. It's all the time. Whatever happens, Elena always tells her to stay away. It's her freaking birthday. She's not a little girl anymore. Emma started to walk away. "I'm going to bed." she mumbled and went upstairs. Before she went to her room, though, she stopped at Jeremy's room. The door was opened and she saw him laying down, staring up at the ceiling. She hesitated before lightly knocking on the door, and his head went up at the sound. "Hi."

"Hey, Em. What's wrong?" he asked, moving to sit on the edge of his bed.

Emma rubbed her arm and looked down at her shoes. "I, uhh, heard about what happened earlier." she said, referring to when he tried to kill himself to become a vampire.

Jeremy played with his hands. "Oh."

The youngest Gilbert walked into the room and stood in front of him. "Why'd you do it, Jeremy?"

"Don't start." Jeremy snapped. "I already got lectured by Stefan and Elena. I know it was wrong, okay?"

Emma closed her eyes as angry tears were forming and she clutched the end of the skirt of her dress. "I don't think you do." She looked him in the eye, surprising him. "You could have died, Jeremy. And I ca-" She choked up. "I can't loose anyone else that's close to me. Mom a-and dad are already gone and John's in the hospital. Caroline might not even make it. I don't want to loose you, too." She felt arms wrap around her and she was pulled in. Emma broke down and sobbed into Jeremy's chest.

"Emma." She heard Jeremy say. "You are not going to loose me." Jeremy pulled away and grabbed Emma's face with his hands, using his fingers to wipe away the tears. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere." Emma sniffled while nodding and they hugged again. "Go change and I'll tuck you in like old times." Jeremy said, smiling at her.

She left and changed, and Jeremy entered her room. After he made sure she was comfortable in her bed, Jeremy leaned down and kissed Emma on the forehead. "Goodnight, Jer." she said, watching him walk away.

Jeremy turned around and smile. "Goodnight." He turned off the light and left Emma in her room to sleep.

* * *

"Okay, so I'm going to go and talk to Carol and Sheriff Forbes real quick. Stay here." Damon said, leaving Emma next to the snack table. Emma nodded, and popped a grape in her mouth. She glanced around the room when she saw Taylor outside the door, greeting people who came into the house. When Damon and Emma arrived at the Lockwood's house, she only waved as she entered the house, not really saying anything. So when the opportunity came, she walked over to him and smiled.

"Hey, Tyler." she said.

Tyler looked down at her since he was pretty much towering over her. "Hey, Emma. I'm glad you made it." he said.

Emma nodded awkwardly. "Listen, I know you've probably heard this way to many times today, but I wanted to say that I'm sorry about you're dad, he was a. . . great guy." she said, though the last part was partly true. Mayor Lockwood could be a total jerk from time to time.

Tyler chuckled. "Thanks. Just how sudden it was is still hard to, uh, process." he said.

Instantly, the image of the Mayor's dead body came to Emma's mind. She felt a shiver go down her spine. "Yeah, it really was. Well, I should go back inside. See you later." she said, walking away as she talked.

"Bye."

Emma went passed the snack table and outside, forgetting about waiting for Damon. But when she was outside, she noticed Elena standing there, gazing at the lawn. "Elena." she said, catching her off guard.

"Oh, hey, E-emma." she said, looking at Emma weirdly.

There was something different about Elena's appearance that Emma was trying to pinpoint. She noticed how curly Elena's hair was, it's very rare that she would curly it. And the clothes seemed out of Elena's character, she never wore anything that would be too flashy, more like casual outfits. Emma decided to experiment, already knowing where her thoughts were leading to.

"Um, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened yesterday." Emma began, seeing how 'Elena' was listening to her talk. "It's just that yesterday was such a big day and it just got. . . ruined. And I didn't mean to snap at you." Emma crossed her arms and looked down, acting sad.

"No, no, Em, it's alright. There's nothing to be sorry for." 'Elena' said, putting on a small smile. "Of course it was a big day yesterday, I mean, _Founder's Day._ It's huge and probably how it ended was bad but I don't blame you for getting frustrated." Bingo. Everyone knew it wasn't _just_ Founder's Day yesterday.

Emma nodded. "Okay, we-" there was a buzzing noise coming from Emma that made her stop talking. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her new phone that Damon got for her as a safety precaution and a birthday gift. It was a simple phone, nothing too fancy. The Gilbert looked at the Caller ID to see Elena's name. She quickly shoved the phone back in her pocket, after hitting end, and looked back at 'Elena', who was watching Emma's every move. Emma smiled. "I need to go. Bye, Elena." she said, sort of rushed and turned to leave, when a hand grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back.

"I don't think so. . . Emma." 'Elena' sneered in Emma's ear. She dragged the girl to the corner of the porch and held the young girl in place.

"Let me go, Katherine." Emma said, glaring up at the vampire.

Katherine smirked. "You know how I am." she stated, ignoring part of what Emma said.

"I knew who you were the moment you turned around." Emma shot. She needed to be careful. This is a vampire that she's talking to, who can easily snap her neck in a millisecond.

"Smart girl. I was able to fool so many people, but I guess it's a lot harder when it comes to sisters." Katherine said, still smirking down at her. Emma's eyes sightly widened. "Yes, I know that you're Elena's sister. I have been putting the puzzle together, piece by piece."

Emma glared at the vampire again. "Let go of me." she demanded.

Katherine rose an eyebrow. "Wow, you are feisty. Isobel was right about you." Emma made an attempt to runaway but Katherine tightened her grip and hissed at her with her fangs out, making Emma shrink back.

Suddenly, Katherine's grip was gone and she wasn't in front of Emma anymore. Emma blinked and saw that Katherine vamped away from her as a group of people walked by. She took this opportunity to run off, leaving Katherine on the porch. She ran through the house, looking around frantically. Her toughness was completely gone and was replaced with fear. She pushed past people and went out the front door, looking around the patio. She sighed in relief when she saw Damon and the real Elena talking to each other. "Elena." she called out and she ran up to Elena, hugging her tightly from behind.

Elena lifted her arms up and looked behind herself to see Emma. "Em? What's wrong?"

Emma left go of Elena and stood between Damon and her sister. "We have a problem." she said, earning confused looks.

* * *

"Are you okay, Stefan?" Emma asked Stefan as she watched Elena clean the blood off of his wound he received from Katherine.

"Yeah, don't worry, it'll heal soon." Stefan said. Elena made eye contact with Stefan, giving him a look. "I was trying to figure her out. I was playing along, I let her get to me."

Emma noticed Damon walking up to them. "We tried to track her, but she's gone." He saw Stefan's wound. "Ooh, cover up, Fabio. We got a crazy ex on the loose." Elena pulled his shirt down as Damon put his hands on his hips. "Better watch out, looks like Katherine's trying to steal your guy." Damon said, smiling at the end.

Elena looked at Damon and then Stefan, feeling down. "That's not what's happening." Stefan defended.

"Isn't it? I mean, it's only fair, since I. . . went after your girl." Damon said. Emma rolled her eyes, of course he's brings up what happened last night.

"Emma and I are going to go check on Jenna and Jeremy. Let us know when you guys are done." Elena said, getting up from the bench and taking Emma with her back inside the house. As they walked, Elena couldn't stop thinking about something. "Emma," Emma 'mmh'ed in response. "How much was Katherine like me?"

Emma snorted. "Are you that worried about that?" she asked. Elena gave her a look, making the girl sigh. "Not very much. Body, yes. Face, yes. Attitude, no. Hesitated too much. Aaand she had curly hair. You are definitely the better doppelganger."

* * *

Elena laughed, feeling a bit better. "Thanks." She put an arm around Emma and they walked into the Lockwood house.

It was dark out when the Gilbert family entered their home.

"Alright, bedtime." Jenna said, throwing her keys on the table near the door. Jeremy and Elena already went to their rooms, leaving Jenna and Emma downstairs.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Have you forgotten? I'm 13 now, a preteen. I don't have a bedtime." she said, sitting on the couch and crossing her legs.

Jenna faked a laugh. "Ha, ha, ha. Funny. Bed, now." Jenna pointed up the stairs.

Emma groaned loudly. "Ugh, fine. Gosh." She moved slowly towards the stairs, bothering Jenna. Nonetheless, Emma ended up in her room and she changed out of her clothes into her pajamas. She walked out and made her way to the bathroom when she saw Damon and Elena in her sister's room. Apparently, Jeremy heard the commotion and went to the room as well. "Hey, is everything alright?" she asked, entering the room with Jeremy behind her.

Elena broke from Damon's grasp. "Nothing. Go back to bed, guys." Elena said.

Damon looked at Jeremy, then Emma, and back at Elena. "He wants to be a vampire." Damon stated, pointing to Jeremy. He vamped over to Jeremy and slammed him into the wall, hands around the throat.

Emma covered her mouth with her hands. "No! Damon, leave him alone!" she cried.

"You want to shut out the pain? It's the easiest thing in the world." Damon started to say. "The part of you that cares, it just goes away! All you have to do is flip the switch and snap!" Damon snapped Jeremy's neck. Jeremy's body fell to the floor, limp.

Emma's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. She stared at his body, froze in place. Emma saw Elena kneel down next to him, saying something but all Emma could hear was a ringing noise. He promised her. He said he wasn't leaving her. He promised. Emma fell to her knees as tears flowed out of her eyes. "Jeremy, no. No, no, no. Not you, too." she said as more and more tears flowed out. "Not you, too." she said quietly, closing her eyes and resting her head on his chest.

"Emma." She heard Elena say. "Emma, look." Emma slowly lifted her head up to see Elena holding up Jeremy's hand, pointing at the ring on his finger. "He's okay. Emma, he's okay." Elena wrapped her arms around Emma's small frame and new tears formed, tears of relief. Emma reached out and held Jeremy's hand and the sisters sat of the floor, waiting for Jeremy to wake up. At some point, Elena called Stefan and he stood by the door, hands on his hips.

"He saw the ring, that's why he did it. He knew." Stefan said, trying to reason with the heart broken sisters.

Emma felt some anger forming inside her. "He didn't see the ring." Elena said.

Stefan shook his head. "It's Katherine. She got under his skin. She undid everything that was good about him."

"There is nothing good about him. Not anymore. He wants to be hated. He got his wish." Emma sneered. She tightened the hold on Jeremy's hand.

"I hate him, Stefan." Elena said as she started to cry again. Stefan walked over and rubbed both girl's backs.

Just then, Jeremy woke up with a gasp as he looked around everywhere. "Stefan is he okay? Is he okay?" Emma asked, watching the vampire look at Jeremy's face to find anything wrong.

"He's okay." Stefan confirmed, trying to calm Jeremy down. "Shh, you're okay."

Jeremy was breathing heavily. "Damon killed me."

"Sh, it's okay." Elena reassured as she kissed Jeremy's head.

Emma squeezed Jeremy's hand and started to cry again. She had her brother back. But there shouldn't have been a reason for him to come back. He shouldn't have been dead in the first place. It's all Damon's fault. He caused this to happen. He wanted Jeremy dead. I hate him, too, Elena. Emma thought. I hate him, too.


	11. Brave New World

"Hey, can you hang those up?" A girl asked Emma as she handed a bag full of stuffed animals to her.

Emma nodded and walked up to the stand that it was assigned to. The whole school was setting up for the big Mystic Falls Carnival and everyone did their part, though Emma was a bit reluctant. The carnival reminded her of her parents. It was something that the whole family looked forward to and they would have the best time. It just wasn't the same anymore. The Gilbert set the bag on top of the ring toss stand's counter and turned around to leave when she bumped into a figure, making them drop rolls of tickets out of their hands.

"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry. I should have watched where I was going." Emma apologized as she quickly bent down and started to pick them up.

She heard the person laugh and pick the tickets up as well. "No, no. It's okay." they said.

Emma looked up, about to hand the tickets to the person she bumped into, when she started to blush. In front of her was a boy she's never seen before that was around her age with light brown hair. And he was cute. So cute that Emma felt butterflies in her stomach and when she talked, she began to stutter. "U-h, her-e you go." she said quickly, holding the tickets out to him.

He smiled at her and took them out of her hands. "Thanks. I'm Jared." he said.

"Oh, I'm-"

"Emma, yeah, I know who you are." Jared interrupted. Upon seeing her confused look, he began to explain. "On the first day of school, your family was kind of the topic going around. And then when you came back, everyone was talking about you again."

Emma looked down. "Of course they were. So, how come I've never seen you around before?" she asked, changing the topic to get rid of the awkwardness.

"I'm new this year. And we don't have any classes together, though I did go into Mr. Miller's classroom once and I saw you there." Jared replied.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember. "Wait, you were handing out the flyers for the photography club." she said, snapping her fingers when she finally remembered him.

Jared nodded, shifting the tickets in his hands. "Yeah, that was me."

They stood there in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. Jared's brown eyes watched Emma rubbed her hands together in front of her as she glanced from side to side. She spotted Elena and she mentally sighed in relief. "Well, I should leave you to getting those tickets where they belong. Bye." she said, turning and heading toward Elena.

Elena looked up from her clipboard when she heard Emma stand next to her. "Hey, Em. Having fun?" Emma just shrugged and stared at her shoes. Elena looked confused at her sister's behavior, and looked over at where she came from to see a boy staring at Emma before walking off. Elena smiled. "Oh, I bet you are. Who's the boy?" Elena asked, holding the clipboard to her chest.

Emma's head shot up and her eyes were wide. "Who? What boy?" she asked.

"The one that was watching you walk away. Come on, tell me." Elena urged, wanting all the details.

Emma blushed at the thought of Jared doing that. "His name is Jared and he's in my grade." Emma saw the looked Elena was giving her and Emma rolled her eyes. "I know what you're thinking. No, I do not like him. I just met him." she tried to explain but it didn't stop Elena from smiling at her sister being defensive.

"Whatever you say, Em. Now, I need to find Jeremy. Come with me." Elena said, walking off to the school with Emma next to her. They walked through the halls until the found their brother at his locker, talking to Stefan.

". . . driver Elena. Hello, Elena, Emma." Stefan said, as the girls stopped next to them. He put an arm around Elena's waist.

"Hey, uh, do you-" Elena began but Jeremy interrupted her.

"Yeah, yeah, I set up the goldfish toss, all 300 goldfish. It's gonna be epic." Jeremy said, slamming his locker shut and walking off.

Emma watched after him, worried about the way he was acting. "I'll be back." Emma said, going after him. Jeremy was very upset that Damon killed him, even though he didn't do anything to him. She doesn't really blame him. Damon is nothing but a psychotic monster in her eyes now and she doesn't want anything do to with him anymore. The only time she'll say anything to him would be about what's happening with Katherine, that's it. When she caught up to him, she had to grab his arm to make him slow down.

"What, Em?" he asked, a little annoyed.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. You know, 'cause of what happened." Emma said, crossing her arms.

Jeremy sighed and tightened the hold on his backpack. "Well, for starters, I'm not fine. I'm pretty pissed about Damon."

Emma nodded in understanding. "Heh, me, too."

Jeremy scoffed. "Em, you're not the one that had their neck snapped by the guy." he said, giving her a side glance.

"Doesn't matter. What he did was horrible. For a brief moment, he took someone who was very close to me away." Emma said. She felt an arm around her and looked up to see Jeremy pulling her close to his chest. He wrapped both his arms around her, squeezing her tightly. "He took you away from me, Jer." she cried, burying her head in his chest with small tears forming in her eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry." Jeremy whispered, kissing the top of Emma's head. "I'm here though, okay? I'm not going anywhere." he tried to reassure her. Emma nodded and hugged him tighter.

* * *

"It looks amazing!" Emma complemented as she looked around the front yard of the school where people walked with light up necklaces and cotton candy.

Elena laughed. "I don't know, there's so much that still has to be fixed." She looked down at her clipboard. A few moments later, Bonnie came up to them with bad news.

"The ring toss is out of Bart and Homer bolls and Team Jacob Ts." the witch informed as the three walked through the carnival.

"I'll get some from the science club." Emma volunteered.

Elena nodded. "Thanks. Oh, the karaoke booth lost a speaker."

Bonnie stopped Elena and Emma from walking further. "Hey, it's all good. This is awesome." she said, gesturing at all the stands and the huge Ferris wheel.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "You mean, I can do more than just wreak vampire havoc?" she asked, jokingly.

"Go figure." Bonnie said, playing along.

The three of them laughed. Elena looked over to a guy that was tightening a screw on the ticket booth. "Hey, you're Carter, right? You're with the carnival."

"That'd be me." he replied, putting the screwdriver in his utility belt.

"Okay, great." Elena began but Carter didn't have his attention on her at all. He was checking Bonnie out.

"Wow. What you need, beautiful?" he asked, not looking at Emma or Elena.

The sisters shared a look and looked at Bonnie with smiles on their faces. "Um, what do you know about karaoke speakers?" Bonnie nervously asked.

Carter let out a laugh. "Heh. Why don't you show me the problem."

"Yeah, Bon. Show him the problem." Emma said, motioning her eyes toward Carter. Bonnie gave the girls smiles before leading Carter the lay to the karaoke machines. "Oh, my god, they're perfect for each other." Emma gushed when they left.

Elena nodded, watching Bonnie walk away. "Exactly. It kind of reminds me of a certain 13 year old and another 13 year old that would be cute together." Elena teased, giving Emma a smile.

Emma groaned, rubbing her hands on her face. "Why must you bring him up? I told you that I do not like him and he certainly doesn't like me, okay? Just drop it." Emma begged.

Elena had a smug look on her face. "How about you tell that to him." she said, pointing behind Emma. The young Gilbert turned to see Jared walking up to her with his hands in his pockets. "I'll leave you two alone." Elena said, running off before Emma could protest.

Emma sighed when Elena left and turned at the same moment Jared came up to her. She gave him a smile. "Hey, Jared." she greeted.

"Hey, Emma. Enjoying the carnival?" he asked.

Emma nodded. "Sort of. I haven't really played any of the games yet. Been busy making sure everything is fine so that my sister doesn't freak out." she joked. She nearly fainted when she heard him laugh with her. It sounded amazing. He had an amazing laugh. Really amazing. . . . Wait, what is she thinking? She's obsessing over his laugh? How much weirder can she get? Thank goodness he's not a mind reader because then she would die of embarrassment.

Jared scratched the back of his neck. "If you want, I could take you to play them." he suggested, but then he quickly covered it. "But like I said, it's if you want, you don't hav-" Emma cut him off by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I want to." she said, giving him a shy smile. She grabbed onto his elbow and pulled him towards a random stand. "Come on, I want to play this one." She giggled a bit when she saw his surprised face.

The two had a great time together. They went to so many stands that the preteens had a hard time remembering if they had already played the game. They won some, they lost some but that didn't stop them from having any less fun. Currently, they were playing the Milk Bottle Toss, where you have 3 tries to knock over the bottles using small balls. To Emma, it seemed like Jared wanted to prove to her that he can knock them down.

"Go, Jared!" she cheered as he picked up the first ball. He raised his arm and threw the ball. He hit one of the bottles but the rest stayed still. Jared looked bummed out so Emma tried to comfort him. "You got this, two more tries." she said, putting her hand lightly on his arm.

Jared smiled at her and grabbed the next ball. This time, when he threw it, he knocked down the remaining bottles. He said a silent 'Yes.' and took the stuffed animal that was handed to him. Jared turned to Emma and handed her the animal. "This is for you."

Emma blushed and bit her lip as she held the animal in her hand. "Thanks, Jared." she said, looking down.

"Anytime." Jared said, winking at her which made the Gilbert blush even more. "Want to play another game?" he asked, pointing his thumb behind him.

Emma smiled. "Yeah." But before they went on their way, Emma saw Elena and Damon walking inside the school. She looked at Jared who was curiously watching her. "I'm sorry, but I need to go. It looks like there's an emergency. I'll see you later!" Emma yelled over the noise as she walked towards the school. She quickly waved and ran, leaving Jared. She ran past people and through the doors of the school and caught up with Damon and Elena. "Hey, what's going on?"

Damon gave her a side glance. "How do you know there's something wrong?"

Emma glared at him. "Considering Elena's walking and talking to you means there's something wrong." she explained as the walked. Damon sighed, knowing for a fact that there was noway for the Gilbert sisters to forgive him.

The three made it to Alaric's classroom where Stefan was already waiting. Emma and Elena sat down on the desks as Damon took the liberty to sit in Alaric's chair.

"So, what's going on?" Emma asked, crossing her arms as she leaned back.

Damon took a minute before responding. "Caroline might have been turned into a vampire."

Emma's eyes widened. "What? How did this happen?" she asked.

"Well, I fed her my blood and Katherine obviously killed her, and 'A' plus 'B' equals. . ." Damon trailed off, making a face that made Emma roll her eyes.

"But why?" Elena asked, moving to stand next to Stefan.

Damon stared at her intensely. "Because, Katherine is a manipulative, nasty little slut." he shot, getting angry just by mentioning her name.

Stefan walked forward a little. "And she said, 'Game on'? I mean, what does that even mean?" Stefan asked, crossing his arms.

Emma thought for a second. "Means she wants to play dirty. What she did to Caroline is how she wants us to know." Emma paused and bit her nail. "But why Caroline?"

Damon shook his head. "Ah, I don't know."

"Caroline must be completely out of her mind." Stefan injected. He threw his hands up. "She has no idea what's happening to her." He moved his hands behind his head.

Damon scoffed. "Oh, I think she does. All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition."

Emma rolled her eyes again. "That's your fault, Damon." He glared at her as she continued. "Now, we need to find her." she said, looking at Elena and Stefan.

"Yep, and kill her." Damon said.

Elena and Emma stared at Damon with anger in their eyes. "You're not gonna kill Caroline." Elena instructed.

Damon gave the girls weird looks. "She knows who we are. She's officially a liability. We have to get rid of her." Damon pushed.

Stefan leaned forward from where he was sitting down. "Damon, absolutely not."

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan?" Damon said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, also your fault." Emma injected.

"Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire." Damon finished, glaring at the young Gilbert. "Her mother's a vampire hunter." He looked around to see the three's angry looks. "Guys, come on. We all know how this story ends, so let's just flip to the last chapter and-"

"It's not an option, Damon." Elena said, her voice cracking at the end. Emma got up and wrapped her arms around Elena's waist and Elena returned the gesture.

"No?" Damon challenged. He looked over to his little brother who hung his head, trying to come up with something. "Your silence is deafening, Stefan. Wait, wasn't it also a school carnival the night you staked Vicki? Talk about a town where history repeats itself." Damon said, smirking. "You know I'm right."

Emma watched Stefan as he stood up and got in Damon's face. He raised a finger and pointed it at him. "We're not gonna kill her." he said, and walked out of the room.

"It's the only way." Damon said as Emma and Elena went after him. But before Emma left the room, she went over to Damon and slapped him on the face. It caught the vampire by surprise and he fell off the chair.

Emma shook her a little and walked backwards to the door. "That felt good." she said and left.

She caught up with Stefan and Elena and they walked together as they searched for Caroline. "You agree with Damon, don't you?" Elena asked. Stefan ignored her question and kept on walking. "Stefan." Elena called out. Stefan went up to a food truck and punched the side, leaving a small dent. "Stefan." Elena tried again.

Stefan stopped walking behind the food truck. "Damon's right, not about what we should do, but about what's gonna happen. Katherine all but signed Caroline's death sentence." he said, leaning against the truck and crossing his arms.

"Well, then let's not let it end that way." Emma boldly said. There was no way she was going to let Damon kill someone else that was close to her. And this time, Caroline won't be coming back. Stefan sighed as he stared down at the girl.

"She's doing this to me, isn't she?" Elena asked, kind of already knowing the answer.

Stefan scoffed. "Actually, she's doing it to me." Stefan sighed again and leaned his head back.

The three searched some more before Stefan stopped walking and turned his head around, trying to look for something. "What is it? Do you hear her?" Emma asked, tensing up a bit. The sister's looked around to try to see what Stefan was looking for but it was no use.

"What's going on, Stefan? What is it?" Elena asked, getting anxious.

"It's blood." he stated. "I can smell blood." He started to walk off, with Emma and Elena behind him.

* * *

"Stefan!" Damon grunted as Stefan pushed him off of Caroline, letting the stake fall to the floor. Emma and Elena ran up to the blood covered Caroline, to try to calm her glanced at Carter's dead body on the truck but turned from it, leaving her focus on Caroline. Elena held Caroline's arm when suddenly, Caroline pushed her away.

"Get away from me! You killed me." Caroline backed away, clutching her jacket.

"No, no, no, no, Caroline. That wasn't me." Elena said, trying to convince the new vampire otherwise. "You know that. That was Katherine."

Caroline shook her head. "No! Then why does she look like you?" Caroline shouted, backing away even more. "And why did she do this to me?"

Emma held her hands up and walked closer to Caroline. "Care, I know you're really confused, but you need to calm down, okay? We'll explain everything when we get inside!" Emma said, directing the last bit to Stefan as she held onto Caroline's arm.

"It's alright, Caroline. Come with me." Stefan backed away from Damon and went over to the three girls.

"She will die. It's only a matter of time." Damon said, crossing his arms.

Stefan held onto Caroline's hand. "Yeah, maybe so, but it's not gonna happen tonight." He started to walk away with Caroline when Damon said.

"Oh, yeah, it is." He bent down, grabbed the stake, and vamped forward to kill Caroline when Elena stepped in front of him. Emma gasped as Damon froze, holding the stake in the air as he stared down at Elena.

"Damon, she's my friend." Elena pleaded, looking up at him.

Damon intensely stared down at her, still holding the stake. Then, he pulled back. "Whatever happens, it's on you." he said, pointing at Elena with both fingers before backing away. He glanced at Emma to see her watching him with a surprised expression.

"W-we got to get her cleaned up." Emma said, snapping out of her trance. They started to walk away but were stopped when Bonnie started to walk out.

"Caroline?" Bonnie took in Caroline's appearance. Caroline looked down, ashamed that her best friend saw her like this. "No. You're not. You can- You can't be." Bonnie said. She ran up to Caroline and grabbed her arm, using her magic. Bonnie looked at Caroline in disbelief as she felt the familiar feeling she felt with Stefan, Damon, Ben, and Katherine.

"Bonnie." Caroline began. "I-I" She tried to explain but she couldn't find the right words. Bonnie looked behind her and saw Carter's body. She let out 'Oh, god.' and Caroline tried to call to her as the witched walked past her.

Bonnie looked down at the body and started to cry. Emma walked up to her and rubbed the witch's back, comforting her.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bonnie said, tears running down her face.

Damon came back with a shovel. "Come on. Don't pout about it." he said. "We got a body to bury." Not only Bonnie but Emma too glared at him. Emma went back to comforting Bonnie.

"Bonnie, I'm so sorry this happened." she said, voice cracking with a the emotions she was feeling. Anger, frustration, sadness, everything.

Bonnie shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Em." she said. She looked over at Damon. "He does." And with all her focus, Bonnie used her magic to make Damon fall to the ground, grunting in pain.

Emma looked over at Bonnie, shocked, and then quickly went to Damon's side. "Damon!" She laid a hand on his arm, trying to steadying him, but he want in too much pain that he couldn't stop moving. "Bonnie, stop." Water suddenly started to come out of a hose not that far from them.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." Bonnie said, still crying.

Damon clutched his head. "I didn't do this!" he grunted.

"Bonnie, it wasn't his fault." Elena defended.

Bonnie stared at Elena. "Everything that happens is his fault, Elena." The water that was shot out of the hose started to slowly make it's way over to Emma and Damon.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked, getting worried as to what were Bonnie's intentions were.

Then the water caught on fire and the flames went over to Emma and Damon. "Emma, get out of here." Damon demanded, trying his best to push her out of the way in is weakened state.

"What?" Emma asked in disbelief.

"Get away!" And with a lot a strength, Damon pushed Emma a few feet away right when the flames went on his body. Damon started to yell in pain as the flames burned his flesh.

Emma was staring wide eyed at the scene before her. She started to have flashes of the basement where she heard the tomb vampire's pained cries from the fire. "Bonnie! Stop!" She yelled, looking at the witch.

"Bonnie! You're gonna kill him!" Elena joined but Bonnie didn't stop.

Emma got up and ran through the fire and shook Bonnie, making her loose concentration. Bonnie glared at the brunette and suddenly, Emma was thrown in the air. She landed on the asphalt hard, and she felt a sting on her right arm. Emma cried out in pain and saw that Bonnie had continued to burn Damon.

"Emma!" Elena called out. Elena did the same thing Emma did and shook Bonnie.

Bonnie glared at Elena. "Why did you stop me."

"Because this isn't us. Bonnie, this can't us." she said, holding onto Bonnie's arms.

Damon groaned as he tried to get up but he was too weak. He looked over to Emma where she was laying on her side, holding her arm close to her chest. "Elena." he breathed out and raised a finger in Emma's direction.

Elena ran over to Emma and helped her stand up. "Come on." she said, guiding her sister towards Bonnie and the girls left Damon on the floor.

* * *

Emma sat on the floor with her back against the school's wall. She was waiting for Elena to finish up with whatever so that they could finally go home. Today's events were. . . horrible. Definitively not how she wanted to end the night. And the stunt she pulled for Damon. It's still a mystery as to why she defended him. He killed her brother, she would give anything in the world to see him in pain for what he had done. But watching Damon, on the floor actually in pain, was hard for her to watch. Elena was right, that wasn't who they were, inflicting pain on people.

Emma sighed and played with her fingers when she heard footsteps walking in her direction. She looked up to see Stefan. They shared a smile as he sat down next to her on the floor.

"How are you doing?" he asked, resting an arm on his knee that he left raised.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. Stressed is one way to put it."

Stefan nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah." He looked over and saw how she was holding her arm. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh, while Bonnie was on witch mode, she threw me back and I landed on my arm." she answered, rubbing her arm unconsciously.

Stefan looked down at it for a while before talking again. "If you want, I could give you some blood to heal it." he suggested, lifting the sleeve of his shirt to get ready.

Emma tensed at his words. "I don't know. What if. . . you know, Katherine decides to pay me a visit?" she asked worriedly.

"It's up to you, I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do." Stefan calmly said, lightly putting his hand on Emma's shoulder.

Emma sat there for a minute, thinking if it would be a safe option. On one hand, if she did take Stefan's blood, she wouldn't feel the pain anymore but, as she stated before, Katherine could know about it and take it to advantage. On the other hand, if she didn't take it, she would have to come up with an excuse and try explain to Jenna why her arm hurt so much and she would have to go to the hospital and it would just be a waste of time. With a sigh, Emma nodded her head.

Stefan raised his wrist to his mouth and bit down on it. Then he slowly held it out for Emma and she reached over and put her mouth on the opening. The taste of iron hit her taste buds and she scrunched her nose up in disgust, but nonetheless, drank the blood till she no long felt the pain in her right arm. Pulling away, she used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away the little blood around her mouth.

"Thank you." she said, giving Stefan a small smile.

He smiled back and patted her leg as he stood up. "Your welcome. I'm going to go talk to Elena. Goodnight, Emma." he said.

"Night, Stefan." Emma said back. She watched as he walked down the hall. Once his body was out of sight, Emma stared at the wall in front of her and thought some more.

If today was hectic, what's going to happen tomorrow?


	12. Bad Moon Rising

Emma sat on the comfy single seat in the Salvatore living room with Stefan and Elena sitting in the love seat across from her. The young girl was drinking hot chocolate that she made at the house. She was a bit surprised to have found the substance in the kitchen considering all Stefan and Damon ever ate these days were. . . blood. Though, that didn't stop her from making it anyways. The door bell rang and she watched Damon make his way to the front door.

After what happened at the carnival, Emma tried her best to avoid Damon as much as she could. She couldn't face him. She knew that he was questioning as to why she tried to save him, who wouldn't think that after he temporarily killed her brother? So, with every chance she had, she tried not to talk to him, make any eye contact, and to never be in the same room alone with him. If it seemed liked that was going to happen, Emma would simply tag along with Elena.

"Thanks for coming, Ric." Stefan said from his seat after Damon had opened the door to reveal the history teacher.

Alaric entered and made his way to the living room as Damon shut the door behind him. "You need something to drink? Coffee? Bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?" Damon offered, following him. He gestured toward the other love seat for Alaric. Damon walked over and stood by Emma's chair, making her shift uncomfortably.

"Elena mentioned you needed my help." Alaric said, taking a seat.

Stefan leaned forward. "Yeah. We were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family." he explained.

"Now why would I know anything about the Lockwoods?" Alaric asked, slightly confused.

From his spot next to Emma, Damon sat on the arm of Emma's chair as he spoke. "Well, you wouldn't. But your dead, not dead vampire wife might." Emma scooted slightly away from him.

Alaric looked down, starting not to like where the conversation was headed. He was about to protest but Elena cut him off.

"Isobel's research, from when you guys were at Duke together." she started.

"You said that she had spent years researching this town." Stefan continued. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his kneels.

"Isobel's research here, Mystic Falls, was rooted in folklore and legend." Alaric began to explain. "At the time, I thought most of which was fiction." He glanced at the two vampires.

Damon smirked. "Like that amazing vampire story." he joked.

Emma took a sip of her hot chocolate. "What else was there besides vampires?" Emma asked.

Alaric looked her in the eyes. "Lycanthrope."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Isn't that-"

"Werewolves." Damon finished. Damon and Stefan glanced at each other. "No way." he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Impossible. Way too Lon Chaney."

"Is it?" Stefan countered.

Damon gave Stefan a look. "I've been on this planet for 160-some odd years. I've never come across one." He looked over at Alaric. "If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"

"Well, why do you suspect the Lockwoods?" Alaric asked.

"Because vervain didn't effect the Mayor on Founder's Day but the Gilbert device did. And it effected his son Tyler." Damon pointed out.

Stefan continued. "And at the school carnival, his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought one of the carnival workers. It suggested some sort of a supernatural entity."

Elena leaned forward. "We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure out what it is."

Alaric shifted from his spot on the couch. "Well, all of her things are still at Duke." He cleared his throat. "I mean, her office is still there. She's technically still missing."

"So can we get access to it?" Damon asked, raising is arms in question. Alaric moved his head around, thinking for a moment. This caused Damon to get frustrated. "Ric," He leaned forward. "We need to know what we're dealing with. If this wolf man thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good. It means that Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney Jr. Which means that Bela Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed." He looked at the history teacher intensely.

Alaric looked down at his lap, thinking again. Emma took this opportunity to persuade him more. "Alaric." she said, gaining his attention. "You're the only one that can help us get what we need. Please, we need your help." she pleaded.

Alaric stared at her before nodding. "Okay, I'll do it." Emma and Elena shared smiles with each other. "We'll leave tomorrow." He got up and left through the front door.

* * *

"So, how are you feeling, you know, since you're going to Isobel's office?" Emma asked Alaric, slightly joking to brighten up the mood. She and Alaric were outside the Gilbert house, waiting for Elena and Stefan to come down from the doppelganger's room. Three minutes before, Alaric spoke to Jenna about their relationship and Alaric ended up coming out of the house a little down.

Alaric scoffed, scrapping his foot against the sidewalk. "I have no idea."

Emma nudged his arm with her elbow. "I bet it's going to be great." Emma said, dragging on the 'eat'. "Oh, especially since Damon is going." She smiled when Alaric closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Don't remind me. I seriously don't know how Stefan puts up with him." They shared a laugh before they were met with silence. Alaric glanced at Emma, unsure to bring up the topic in his mind. "I, uh, heard about what happened during the carnival."

Chewing on her upper lip, Emma looked down. "I'm sure you did. Caroline's a vampire now."

Alaric slowly nodded. "Yeah, that, but there's also about how you tried to. . . save Damon." He saw the way she shifted from one foot to the other.

"Oh that." she said, as if not knowing what he was implying in the beginning. Emma shrugged. "It wasn't right for Bonnie to just kill him when it wasn't entirely his fault."

Alaric nodded in content, happy to hear reasoning. A few seconds later, Damon's car came down the rode and parked on the curb. He honked, signalling his arrival not only to Alaric and Emma but to the couple inside. Damon stepped out of the car and made his way over to the two.

He nodded towards Alaric. "Ric." He looked over at Emma but she turned her head away. "Right, where's Romero and Juliet?" he asked, pointing around him.

At that moment, Stefan and Elena came walking out of the house, hand in hand. Alaric went around the car and got in.

Elena looked at Emma and the girls embraced. "I don't like leaving you behind. Are you sure that you don't want to come?" Elena asked, pulling back.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I would be much use. Besides, Stefan needs all the help he can get when it comes to Caroline." she joked as grabbed Elena's bag and turned to put it in the back seat. Elena laughed.

"Sorry you can't come too, Stef." Damon said, putting on a fake sad face while leaning against the car. Elena and Emma gave the vampire a look of annoyance.

Stefan simply ignored his brother. "Call me if you need anything." he told the doppelganger.

Damon scoffed. "Oh, I'll take really good care of her." He winked in confirmation.

Elena reached out and pulled Stefan towards her, kissing his lips. Emma saw Damon's hurt expression, and felt bad. He didn't need a constant reminder that Elena will always choose Stefan over Damon.

Damon opened the passenger door and got in. "Okay, time to go." he said.

Stefan opened the back seat door for Elena and she sat down. Alaric started the car and Emma and Stefan stood side by side as they pulled away.

"Bye!" Emma shouted, waving at the departing car. Emma sighed once it was out of sight and turned to Stefan. "So, what first on the to-do list?" she asked, resting her hands on her waist.

Stefan smiled down at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "The hard part. Getting Bonnie to make a daywalking ring for Caroline."

Emma grimaced. "The hard part indeed." She thought back to how Bonnie reacted to Caroline becoming a vampire. There's probably no way Bonnie would do that. "Well, I'll call her and we can meet her at The Grill." Stefan nodded in agreement and they went on.

* * *

Emma, Stefan, and Bonnie sat together at a table in The Grill an hour later.

"I don't know how to make a daywalking ring." Bonnie said, making Emma frown a bit.

Emma leaned forward from her seat. "Emily was a witch, right? There has to be something in the grimoire." Emma said.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah. She made mine and Damon's, too."

Bonnie shook her head. "That doesn't mean that I can cast a spell."

"Bonnie." Stefan began, seeming a bit annoyed. "You know how to drop a vampire with a simple look. Okay? I think you can figure it out."

"Caroline killed someone, guys." Bonnie stated.

Emma glared at the witch. "That she didn't mean to kill."

"It doesn't matter, Emma." Bonnie snapped at the girl. "I won't make it easier for her to do it again."

"No, we're not making it easier for her." Stefan said. "We're just giving her the chance to survive." he explained. "Listen, everyday that she's cut off from her old life- from Emma, from you, from Elena, from Matt- It'll make it that much harder for her to hold on to her humanity." he pointed out.

Emma nodded when Bonnie glanced over at her.

"And how do you know she wont hurt anyone else?" Bonnie questioned.

Emma sighed, seeing how the conversation kept going around in circles.

"Well, we don't. If we don't do everything we can to help, or at least trust the fact that she can keep it together, we might as well just stake her right now." Stefan admitted.

"I don't know if I can trust her." Bonnie said.

That's when Emma lost it. She pounded her fist on the table. "She's your best friend, Bonnie!" she yelled, catching the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Bonnie and Stefan looked at her in surprise from her outburst. "Just because she's," she lowered her voice. "a vampire, doesn't mean she's not the same Caroline we know. If you don't want to help her, fine then. We can find someone else." Emma got up from her seat and left The Grill, fuming as she went.

Not wanting to go home or to the boarding house, Emma went to Caroline's house, to see how she was doing. She knocked on the door. "Care? It's me, Emma." After a minute, she heard a faint voice.

"It's open."

Opening the door, Emma stepped inside the Forbes household to see Caroline sitting on the floor with her legs pulled to her chest next to a ray of sunshine that shone on the floor. "How long have you been sitting there?" she asked.

Caroline shrugged. "However long Matt left, hating me because he thinks that I'm ignoring him."

Emma frowned down at the blonde. She closed the door behind her and went over to sit down next to her. "He doesn't hate you, Caroline. He's just worried about you. Trust me."

Caroline nodded and hugged her arms to her stomach. "I guess." Her head shot up suddenly and she looked over at the young brunette. "How'd it go with Bonnie? Is she going to help?" she asked, eagerly.

Emma avoided making eye contact with Caroline. "Care, about that-" She was interrupted with the sound of the doorbell. Getting up, seeing how Caroline couldn't get near the front door, Emma answered the door and saw Stefan and Bonnie standing on the porch. "Bonnie." she said, surprised to see the witch with the grimoire in her hands.

"Let's get this over with." Bonnie said, stepping inside.

As she walked past Emma, the young girl glanced at Stefan. "How'd you convince her to do it?" she asked.

Stefan shook his head. "It wasn't me." he said, walking in the house as well.

* * *

The four of them went to Caroline's room and made themselves comfortable, Emma and Caroline sitting side by side on the bed, Stefan leaning against the wall and Bonnie standing at the foot of the bed with the grimoire.

Caroline looked down at the ring that she was going to wear. "So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear the rest of my life?"

"Hey, if you don't want it-" Bonnie began.

"No, no. She want it." Emma inject. "And besides," She held the ring in her hand, observing it. "it's not that bad." It was a simple ring with a blue base, and a similar style to Stefan and Damon's rings.

Caroline sighed. "I guess. Now what?" she asked Bonnie.

Bonnie looked down at the open spell book. "Now's the part where I explain the rules. The witch who spells the ring has the power to de-spell it. So, if you ever do anything to hurt anyone-"

"Bonnie." Emma glared at her.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone." Caroline firmly said.

"You're a vampire." Bonnie stated. Emma rolled her eyes. As if she didn't know already, she thought. "That means the urge to kill is a part of who you are. The minute you let it take over, I will stop you." Bonnie said.

Emma and Stefan looked at each other. The girl looked angry when he saw her. She was angry that Bonnie was being so mean towards Caroline. It wasn't her fault that Katherine decided to kill her while Caroline still had blood in her system.

"Bonnie, you're supposed to be my friend." Caroline said.

"I can't ignore what happened. Okay?" Bonnie told her. "If you want to be friends, you're going to have to prove that the Caroline I remember isn't gone." Caroline looked down. "Now, Emma, put the ring on the bed."

Emma shared a look with Caroline and set the ring close to Bonnie. Bonnie walked towards the window, getting ready to cast the spell.

"Do you really think I meant to kill that guy at the carnival?" Caroline let out.

Bonnie simply looked at Caroline. "He's still dead. Now do you want me to cast the spell or not? Hmm?" With that, Bonnie opened a curtain, letting a ray of sunshine in.

Caroline brought her legs closer to herself so she would get burned. Emma put a reassuring hand on the vampire's shoulder.

Bonnie focused on the ring and closed her eyes in concentration. The three of them looked at her as she mumbled to herself. After a few seconds, Bonnie opened her eyes. She picked up the ring and held it out to Caroline. "All done."

Caroline looked at her skeptically and she glanced at Stefan and Emma for confirmation. They nodded and she put the ring on her finger. "So, that's it?" she asked. Bonnie gave her a confused look. "I mean, nothing witchy happened." Bonnie looked insulted and Emma started to get worried about what she might do. "You know, no flickering lights, no gust of wind. Have you even done this before?"

"Caroline. . ." Stefan warned, playing with his hands.

The newly turned vampire threw her hands up. "What? I just want to make sure that it worked!" Just then, Bonnie opened the blinds suddenly, letting the light directly hit Caroline. She let out a squeal and covered herself while Emma tried to shield her. The two then took notice that Caroline wasn't getting burned.

"It worked." Bonnie said.

Emma pulled away. "Well, what if it hadn't?" she asked the witch.

"Why would you say that?" Bonnie questioned.

The young girl scoffed. "Considering that the last time we trusted you to do a spell, it turned out you lied and Damon and I almost died because of that." she reminded, crossing her arms.

Bonnie shook her head and looked at Stefan. "She's all yours." she said and left.

"So what do I do when I see the rabbit?" Caroline asked as the three of them walked through the woods.

After Bonnie had left Caroline's house, Stefan announced the next thing they had to do. Feeding. He was going to teach Caroline how to hunt animals and live on their blood instead of human blood. Emma decided to tag along because she had nothing better to do. Though at first she was a bit reluctant considering Caroline had to catch. . . animals.

"Chase it, catch it, feed on it." Stefan answered as he looked around for an animal.

"Isn't killing cute, defenseless animals the first step in becoming a serial killer?" Caroline asked.

Stefan used a tree branch to step over a fallen trunk. He turned and helped Emma over. "Well, you sort of skipped serial killer and went straight to vampire." Emma laughed at little but stopped when neither of the two laughed along with her. "Hey, Caroline, if you're not serious about all this, I think you should tell me." Stefan said.

Caroline sighed. "No. I am." Emma and Stefan gave her a look. "Look, I swear I am! Okay. But it's just," She paused, trying to come up with something. "I haven't been in the sun for days. And everyone's at the swimming hole having fun, and Matt is there. And he finally told me that he loved me. But I've been blowing him off. And now you want me to eat bunnies and I'm kind of freaking out." she rambled. She let out a breath out of exhaustion from talking so fast.

Emma looked over at Stefan and they both started to laugh a bit.

Caroline glared at them. "And now you're laughing at me."

"What? We're not laughing. Don't be crazy." Emma said, trying not to smile.

"Exactly. It's just that when someone becomes a vampire," Stefan began. "all their natural behaviors get sort of amplified." he explained.

Caroline looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"As a human, I cared deeply for people and when they got hurt, I felt their pain. And when I became a vampire, it. . . magnified." Stefan said, hoping that she would understand what he was trying to say.

"So you're saying that now I'm basically an insecure, neurotic, control freak on crack." Caroline clarified.

Emma shrugged. "If that's how you want to put it." Caroline sighed at her comment.

"Let's hunt. Okay?" Stefan said, looked at Caroline. "And after that, we'll go to the swimming hole."

Caroline widened her eyes. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

Stefan nodded. "And Matt is the closest thing you have to your humanity. And I think that being around him is a good thing."

Caroline smiled widely. "Okay." Emma smiled at her excitedness. Stefan nodded his head toward the rest of the woods and they started to walk again. "Bunnies." the vampire whispered to herself, though Emma was still able to hear it.

"Care, please don't eat Thumper." she asked, turning her head at Caroline.

Caroline's mouth fell open. "Oh, my god, Emma, you are not making this any better." She looked down at the girl. "I don't want you here if you're going to keep reminding me about eating little animals."

Emma sighed. "I'm sorry. I just can't imagine having to do that." She looked over at Stefan who was a few feet away from them. "Stefan, how can you do it without feeling sad after?" Emma asked.

Stefan moved his head around, thinking. "I did at first but after a while, feeling kind of faded." he said. Suddenly, Stefan knelt down and fanned his hand to signal the two to do the same as well. "There." He pointed to a gray rabbit that was nibbling on grass. He looked at Caroline. "Ready?"

Caroline nodded and used her vamp speed to zoom at it. She was able to catch it and started to drink its blood. Once she was done, she set the rabbit down and wiped her mouth. "That was kind of easy."

Emma walked over and saw the limp rabbit. "Awe, Thumper." she said in a sad tone. And in return, Caroline glared at her as Stefan laughed.

As promised, after Caroline hunted, the trio went to the watering hole. Caroline and Emma went to the trunk to get their things. They didn't bring much. Just a bag full of snacks for Emma, since she was the only one out of the three of them that ate real food. And in the bag, Emma packed something that she kept a secret from both vampires.

Emma looked behind her to see Stefan staring at Mason driving by. "Why are you staring at him with your serious vampire look?" she asked, tugging on the bag. Okay, she may have went over board with the food.

Stefan turned to the two girls as they laughed. "My what? My 'serious vampire look'?"

Caroline nodded. "Mm-hmm. It's different from your worried vampire look. Neither of which stray too far from your 'Hey, it's Tuesday' look." she explained. She reached over and picked up the bag using her vampire strength. Emma playfully glared at Caroline when she smiled down at the girl.

"Oh, okay. I get. You guys think I'm too serious." Stefan said, pointing at the girls.

Emma smiled. "I'm sorry, Stefan, but it's true." She patted his shoulder as they started to walk. As they walked, Emma spotted Matt talking to Amy, an annoying girl who apparently doesn't understand that he's taken. She was about point it out to Caroline but it turned out she already saw. "Go get your man." Emma said, pushing her.

Caroline smiled at the Gilbert and went over to her boyfriend. Emma leaned close to Stefan when she saw that Amy left.

"What happened?" she asked.

Stefan furrowed his eyebrows. "She compelled Amy." The two decided to walk over when Matt left as well. "Hey, we saw you compel her." Stefan said.

"Well, she deserved it."

Stefan sighed. "Caroline, nobody deserves to have their mind messed with for. . . shallow reasons." he explained.

Caroline glared at him. "Why is everyone sticking up for Amy freaking Bradley?" she asked sarcastically.

Emma held Caroline's hand. "Hey, control yourself, you insecure, neurotic, control freak on crack." she said with a smile.

"Oh, so what you're implying now is that I have magnified jealousy issues, too." Caroline concluded raising an eyebrow at Emma. "That's great."

"I told you this wasn't going to be easy." Stefan stated. Caroline rolled her eyes and looked at the ground.

Emma stood there seeing Caroline's sad expression and decided to take out her surprise. She spoke as she opened the bag to take it out. "Well, when I was younger, the way to make me feel better was something very fun for everyone around." she said.

Stefan gave her a skeptical look. "And what can that be?"

Emma smiled. "Water gun fight!" she shouted and dropped the bag, holding a water gun. She let out a laugh as she started to squirt water at the blonde vampire who let out a yelp in surprise.

"Oh, it is so on." Caroline declared and grabbed the other one Emma packed and started to squirt her as well. They heard Stefan laugh and they stopped, glancing over at him. They shared a look, having a silent conversation and turned their guns at him.

Stefan's eyes widened. "No." He held his arms up but he still got wet. He reached out and grabbed the last gun Emma pack.

They continued to spray each other with water still the guns ran out of water that Emma packed them with. After their fun fight, they relaxed for a while till it was dark out and the party was ending. They were walking by a truck where Matt was putting the keg away.

"He's mad at me." Caroline stated, watching him sadly.

Stefan looked at her and pointed over at Matt. "Go talk to him. We'll wait." His phone started to ring when Caroline left.

"Who is it?" Emma asked, going on her tipytoes to look at the phone.

"Elena." He answered the phone and put it on speaker. "Hey."

"Hi, Elena."

" _Hi. Listen. We've learned some stuff here_." Elena said through the receiver. " _And I know it's going to sound crazy. But I wanted to fill you guys in._ "

Emma chuckled. "Uh, El, if you haven't noticed, we live in a world of crazy. What's wrong?"

Elena went on about everything that she, Alaric, and Damon learned in Isobel's office. " _I don't know what it means or if we should even believe it. It's a full moon, Stefan, and after what you saw Mason Lockwood do-_ " Elena explained.

"I'll be careful." Stefan said.

" _There's one more thing._ "

"What is it?" Emma asked.

" _According to the legend, a werewolf bite can kill a vampire._ "

Emma and Stefan looked at each other, clearly shocked at the new information. Emma started to think some more and thought of Caroline. "I'm gonna get Caroline." She ran off before Stefan said anything. Going to the truck, she saw that Caroline and Matt were gone. "Crap." she said, walking into the woods to look for them.

She ran until she found Caroline sucking the blood out of Matt. "Care, no!" she yelled. Just then, Stefan came out of nowhere and pulled the blonde off of Matt. Emma ran up to Matt as he slid down the tree trunk, unconscious. She heard Stefan try to calm Caroline down.

"Stop it! Stop!" he shouted, holding her back.

Emma checked Matt over and saw that Caroline had bit his wrist and neck, both wounds seeping blood. She took off her jacket and pressed it against his neck, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Oh, my god." Caroline said, seeing Matt on the ground. She tried to go to him but Stefan held her back.

"No, stop. Listen to me. We need to get out of the wood now." Stefan demanded.

Nearby, Emma heard growling.

"What was that?" Caroline asked, looking around them.

Stefan looked at Caroline, holding out a hand towards the blond. "Do not move." He looked around.

There was more growling. "You guys need to leave. I'll stay with Matt. Just go!" Emma said, still holding the jacket. The two nodded and sped off, taking the growling with them. Emma looked at Matt and moved a strand of hair away from his forehead. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

* * *

Emma and Stefan watch Caroline compel Matt to forget her attacking him. He had regained consciousness a few minutes after Stefan and Caroline came back after the werewolf left.

Caroline walked back to the two. "What are we going to do about Tyler?"

"I took care of it." Stefan said. "I'll get Matt on vervain. It'll keep you from being able to compel him, but it will also keep you from being able to drink his blood." Stefan told Caroline.

"I can't believe I hurt him." Caroline said, voice cracking a bit. "He's the one person on this entire planet that I never wanted to hurt."

Emma frowned and held onto her hand.

"It won't get easier." Stefan stated, crossing his arms.

"I can't be with him, can I?" Caroline asked, already knowing the answer.

Emma shrugged. "That's up to you."

Stefan scoffed. "If I followed my own advice, I would have left Elena a long time ago. And I should have. But I can't." he said, looking down.

Emma looked at him sadly. Stefan must be blaming himself for all the stuff that Elena has been involved in. But, either way, she would have been exposed since she's a doppelganger. There's nothing for him to be guilty about.

Stefan sighed and turned his head to Emma. "I should get you home." he said and wrapped an arm around Emma, leading her to the car.

They two said 'Bye' to Caroline and drove to the Gilbert house. When they got there, they saw Elena standing on the porch, string off in a distance.

"Elena." Emma called out and ran up to her sister, giving her a big hug. "Have fun?" she asked.

Elena scoffed. "Define fun." Elena squeezed Emma before pulling away and looked at Stefan. They gave each other a goodnight kiss, much to Emma's displeasure, and the sisters went inside to sleep.


	13. Memory Lane

Emma poured potato chips into a bowl as Elena and Jenna set the table for the barbecue party.

"Thanks for letting me invite Caroline." Elena told Jenna, placing plates at each seat. "She could use a bit of distraction."

Jenna smiled and leaned on the counter next to Emma. "You're welcome, but she's not the plus one I am worried about. Tell me why Damon's coming." Jenna asked, looking at both girls.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Because Alaric doesn't know how to say no." she said, eating a chip from the bag.

"Be nice, guys." Elena said, reaching over Emma for a grape.

"I'll be nice when Damon learns to keep his paws off you." Jenna countered, giving Elena a stern stare.

Emma looked up thoughtfully. "I wouldn't say paws. . ." she began but was cut short when Mason walked into the kitchen.

"Ahh, good news." He held his arms up, a bottle of vodka and shot glasses in hand. "Found the shot glasses." Mason said, with a huge smile on his face. He set them down in front of Emma and Elena.

"And that is our cue to leave." Elena said, grabbing Emma's arm and dragging her to the living room. When they were out of earshot, Elena glared at Emma. "Really? 'I wouldn't say paws?'"

Emma raised her hands up as if to surrender. "Hey, I just wanted to clarify that is wasn't necessarily claws."

Elena placed her hands on her hips. "You need to be careful with what you say in front of Jenna. It's starting to get harder trying to keep her away from everything."

"I understand that. Don't worry, I won't spill the beans." Emma reassured.

Elena sighed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry for doubting you. It's just with Katherine being here, it's been getting really stressful." she said, running her hands over her face.

Emma smiled sadly towards her sister. The poor thing had the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. All because of the evil vampire, Katherine. This wasn't something either of them should have to deal with but of course, the Gilberts can never get away from trouble. The young girl reached out and gave her sister's hand a tight squeeze.

Giving Emma a small smile, Elena pulled out her phone. "Anyways, I need to call Stefan. Um, and could you keep an eye on Damon?" Emma opened her mouth to protest but Elena was quick to continue speaking to stop her. "Please, I have a feeling he's going to do something really stupid and I'll feel better once I know that I have my helpful sister here."

Emma groaned, playing her hands on her hips. "Fine, I'll do it."

Elena smiled. "Thank you." She rested a grateful hand on Emma's shoulder and went upstairs to get her phone.

Once Elena was out of sight, there was a knock at the door. Emma frowned, knowing who was on the other side. Well, she knew she would have to, at one point, talk to him. Ignoring him wasn't going last forever. So, gathering together her courage, Emma walked up to the door and opened it to see Damon standing on the porch with a white box in his hand which most likely had a pie inside.

"Damon." she said, moving out of the way and opening the door wider for him to walk in.

Damon peered down at Emma weirdly but walked in anyways. He glanced around and looked back to Emma. "Where's everybody?" he asked.

Emma pointed down the hall. "In the kitchen." she said, turning around and heading to the living room to set up games.

Damon watched her as she walked. He made the move to walk away, but stopped himself and turned to her again. "Are you okay?"

Emma had her back to him and shrugged. "Yup." She moved a chair around, trying to put is at a specific angle.

"You sure?" Damon pushed, putting his free hand on his hip.

Emma looked over her shoulder and looked at the vampire. "Yes." She turned back to the chair and fluffed a pillow.

Damon opened his mouth to say more but decided against it. He wasn't going to get out of her. She was just going to respond with one word answers. He shoo his head and made his way to the kitchen.

As much as she wanted to look back, Emma kept organizing the living room. Doing that would get her out of every excuse to help out in the kitchen where Damon was.

A few minutes later, Jenna walked into the living room as Emma was setting up the stand with paper. "Everything good so far?" she asked, crossing her arms as she observed the set up.

"It's alright." Emma responded. "Though," she went over to a cabinet that was built in the wall and opened it. "I can't find the," she pulled out a box of markers. "markers." Emma tossed them onto the coffee table.

Jenna nodded in approval. "Good. So, Caroline's here and lunch is ready. Come on." Jenna informed, turning around and going to the table.

Emma followed behind her aunt and sat down at the table. A few moments later, Elena walked into the dinning room and sat next to her, a distant look on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Emma whispered, nudging Elena a bit.

Elena shook her head. "Nothing."

Before Emma could push more, Alaric set down the burgers and hot dogs on the table, making those who ween't sitting to migrate over. "Let's eat." he said, grabbing a burger for himself and passing the plate around.

* * *

When everyone finished eating, they all went into the living room to play pictionary. So far, whenever it was Damon's turn, he always had to make some sort of reference to werewolves. His current picture was of a dog with a pink tutu on.

"Dress! Ballerina! Ballet!" Jenna called out, jumping up and down in seat on the couch. It seemed that Jenna may have had too much to drink.

"Puppy! Puppy with a tutu!" Caroline pointed, trying to figure out the picture. Damon shook his head at her guess and kept motioning towards the picture frantically.

Emma herself had no idea what the picture was. Her guesses were as good as Jenna's and Caroline's. Though, that didn't stop her from participating. What else was she supposed to do? So, from her spot on the floor, she started to blurt random things out.

"Twirling! Doggy songs!" she tried, but Damon shook his head once again.

"Dog hound!" Jenna shouted. Damon pointed towards her and motioned her to keep going. "Uh, you ain't nothing but a hound dog!" she guessed excitedly. Alaric laughed from his spot next to her.

"Dances with wolves."

Everyone turned their heads, with surprised looks on their faces, to Mason who was sitting on the single chair, relaxed.

Damon closed the cap of his marker and set it down on the coffee table. "Mason wins. . . again." He stared at Mason for what seemed to Emma a little too long, making Mason send a questioning glance at him.

"How is that a wolf?!" Jenna asked, a little too loudly for everyone's liking. Emma made a mental note to take away any alcohol Jenna tried to drink.

After the little stare down, Damon turned and walked to the kitchen where Elena was preparing for dessert. Getting up, Emma followed after him. When she entered the kitchen, she sat down on the island chairs.

"Aunt Jenna's getting tipsy." Damon joked as Elena took out the pie from the white box Damon brought with him.

Elena sighed, setting the pie on a plate. "Will you stop plying her with alcohol?"

Damon walked around the island to Elena's side. "Well, I want her to like me."

Emma rolled her eyes in annoyance at this comment. There's probably no way in hell that Jenna will ever like Damon. "Keep dreaming, Salvatore." she said, earning a glare from Damon.

"How's operation Lockwood?" Elena asked, closing the box.

Damon leaned forward to where he was only in the sister's hearing range. "He's my new BF." he whispered.

Just then, Jenna walked in. "There you guys are." she said, stopping next to the counter. "Isn't this fun?" she asked, mostly to the girls than Damon.

Emma shrugged but Damon decided to answer Jenna's question. "Yes, Thank you so much for inviting me." Damon replied.

"Did I have a choice?" Jenna shot back, annoyed.

Damon moved a little closer to Jenna. "I know what you must think of me."

"No, you don't." Jenna interrupted. "You've never dated you. I have dated many yous." Jenna said. Emma reached out and put a hand on Jenna's arm, calming her down a bit.

"Well, I'm a work in progress."

"A progress that will never be complete." Emma said, making Jenna laugh and Damon's eyebrows to narrow. Emma shook her head and grabbed the pie server that Elena held out. Damon took interest and looked at the set next to Elena.

"Ooh! These are _fancy._ " Damon complemented as Emma set the server on the plate with the pie.

Jenna huffed. "Thanks. They're my mother's silver set."

Elena and Emma shared a look at what their aunt said. Emma moved her gaze over to Damon to see him walk over to the set and take out a huge knife. He smiled innocently when he noticed both Gilbert sisters staring at him. Elena walked out to the living room as Alaric and Mason walked in and took their seats at the table. Emma got out of the island seat and was holding the plate that held the pie when Damon grabbed it out of her hands.

"Mason." he began. Mason looked up from setting a napkin on his lap. "why don't you start us off." Damon offered, placing the plate close to Mason and making sure that the server was sticking out in the so-called-werewolf's direction.

Mason smiled at Damon. "Sure." Emma watched intensely as Mason turned the plate around and tore a piece of the pie with his hands. He set it on his plate and looked up to see Alaric, Damon and the young girl watching him. Mason let out a laugh. "What?" I apologize. I'm an animal." he said, licking his fingers.

Damon and Emma looked at each other, both thinking about Mason's suspicious behavior. The two sat down and Emma didn't really care that she was sitting next to him.

"So, Mason, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric asked, leaning back in his chair.

Mason shook his head. "She was always lost in Logan-Fell-Land." he joked as Jenna set down mugs on the table that were most likely filled with coffee.

"Oh, my first mistake." Jenna said. She placed a mug full of hot chocolate in front of Emma.

Emma laughed. "And even after realizing your mistake, you were still hung up on him." she said, taking a sip of the chocolate.

Jenna scoffed. "Name one time I was still hung up on him."

"How about every time he would be on TV, you would always stop and stare at him dreamily until the camera changed views?" Emma said, smiling when Jenna had a look of realization on her face.

"Okay, enough about me." Jenna let out, after huffing in annoyance that the young brunette was right. "Now, Mason was a catch. He had girls lining up."

Damon pretended to act surprised. "Really?" he asked, looking back at Jenna. "Huh." he said, facing forward. "I always pegged you for a lone wolf."

Emma's eyes slightly widened and kicked his leg under the table. Can he be more of an idiot? Damon coughed a little to hide the small pain from the sudden kick.

Mason lifted his beer bottle. "I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." he responded, taking a sip of beer. Emma raised an eyebrow. Guess that means Mason's on to Damon. "How about a toast?" Mason raised his bottle in the air. "To new friends." Alaric, Damon, and Jenna clanked their bottles with his while Emma used her mug.

"Cheers!" Jenna said, laughing. After she took a sip of beer, she remembered something. "Oh, my gosh. I have the greatest idea." she said, running off.

Emma watched her go and noticed Elena waving her over from the hallway. She excused herself and walked over to her sister. "What's up?" she asked, seeing Elena's slightly worried face.

"Uh, Caroline and I are going to the boarding house to check on Stefan. We won't be long, okay?" Elena explained.

Emma nodded and quickly hugged the older Gilbert, saying 'Goodbye' as she went back into the kitchen. Just as she arrived, she saw Damon and Mason shake hands. Confusion flooded her mind as she went up to Damon after Mason went into the living room.

"What happened?" she asked, looking back to make sure Mason was far enough to talk.

Damon sighed. "Mason knows and he wants there to be peace." he said, taking a sip of whatever was in his cup.

Emma raised her eyebrows at him. "And what? You don't believe him?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Damon set his cup down and pulled out a long knife from the silver set and put it between the waist band of his pants. "Nope." He grabbed his cup again and bean to make his way to the living room. "Come on, there's Guitar Hero to be played." Emma grabbed her mug and pie and followed Damon.

* * *

"I totally beat your butt, Emma!" Jenna cheered, taking off the guitar and handing it to the next person who was Alaric.

Emma shook her head. "Uhh, Jenna, I think you need to look closer at the scores." she said, pointing at the screen. Jenna leaned forward and groaned when she saw that Emma had beat her.

"Beginners luck." Jenna said, rolling her eyes.

"That's the third time she beat you, Jenna." Alaric said, smiling down at Jenna.

"Yeah, yeah." Jenna waved them off and sat down on the couch. Emma laughed and handed her guitar to Mason. Though, he shook his head and got up from the couch.

"I'm good. I actually want to o to the Grill." he said, getting up and walking to the door. Jenna and Alaric followed him to see him off. "No takers for more drinks at the Grill?" Mason asked. When he saw the looks on Jenna and Alaric's faces, he scoffed. "It's like I'm with a bunch of adults here."

Jenna pursed her lips. "I prefer the term role model." That made Emma laugh which she tried to cover up by coughing.

Mason chuckled and held his arms out. "Okay, well, thanks for having me. It was awesome." he said, giving Jenna a hug. He held out his hand for Alaric. "Hey, ready to catch that game next week?"

Alaric shook his hand. "Yeah, looking forward to it."

Emma and Mason were shaking hands when Damon walked in from the kitchen. "Hey, you know, I should probably head out, too." He gave a nod to Mason as he walked out the door. Damon turned to Jenna and held her hand. "Jenna, you are a wonderful hostess." he said, kissing the back of her hand.

"And you are a terrible artist." Jenna said, pulling her hand out of his grasp.

Damon thought for a second. "Is that the only thing that makes me terrible?" Damon asked, trying to see if Jenna liked him.

Jenna pursed her lips again. "Still deciding."

Emma smiled a bit, which she didn't plan on doing, at the thought of Jenna loosening up to Damon. Oh, the world she lives in.

Damon smiled as well and back up to the door. "Good enough for me." Damon opened the front door. "Alaric, let's not catch that game next week." And he left.

Jenna looked at Alaric. "Okay, clean up. You're helping me." she said, dragging him to the kitchen.

Emma made sure that she was out of their sight before quietly opening the front door and running out side to Damon's car. He was about to pull away but she made it in time and pounded on the passenger side window.

The vampire jumped in surprised when he saw the Gilbert standing there. He rolled the window down and leaned over the seat. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.

Emma reached in through the window, unlocked the door and got into the car. As she was putting on the seat belt, she saw Damon's still questioning glance. "I know what you're going to do. And I want to come with." she said, buckling up.

Damon was about to protest but when Emma raised an eyebrow, he knew it was no use in trying to get her out. He sighed and drove the car down the rode. It was silent for some time, only the hum of the car was heard. Damon snuck a glance at Emma.

"So, why have you been ignoring me for that past week?" Damon asked, looking straight ahead.

Emma looked out her window. "I haven't been ignoring you." she mumbled, holding onto the seat belt tightly.

Damon scoffed. "Right, so not making eye contact and not speaking to me is not ignoring me." He looked over at her again. "Seriously, answer my question."

Emma had no idea what to tell Damon. She was avoiding him for. . . she really didn't know. At first it was because of Jeremy and then it turned into something that she couldn't explain. She could feel Damon's bright blue eyes burning holes on the side of her head.

"I'm," she began, looking down at her lap. "still mad about Jeremy." It was partly true.

Damon sighed, running a hand though his hair. "I know I haven't said this to you, but. . . I'm sorry." he said, causing Emma's head to snap up and look at him, surprised. "It was wrong to do that. Katherine got into my head and I acted on impulse. Not that I'm using that as an excuse, just, I wasn't thinking." He looked over to Emma. "I'm sorry."

All Emma could do was stare at Damon, frozen. He was apologizing. It was something Emma didn't expect him to do in a million years. And it wasn't those apologizes he does, with it ending with a sarcastic comment at the end. This was sincere. Damon was truly sorry.

"And I don't expect you to forgive me. Trust me, found that out with your sister." Damon continued. There was another silence.

Emma gulped and opened her mouth. "I-I guess I sort of forgive you." she said.

Damon rose an eyebrow in her direction. "Sort of?" He nodded at the thought of it. "I could live with that." He smiled at her, making Emma smile back at him.

Emma looked away from, looking out the windshield. Everything that she thought about Damon was all jumbled in her head. Yeah, he could be a total jerk and not think at times, but he cares. For the first time in a long time, Emma believed that Damon can change.

Damon brought the car to a stop, a block away from The Grill. Emma leaned forward and looked around.

"Do you see him?" she asked, trying to find Mason's figure.

Damon pointed down the street. "There." Emma followed his finger and saw a Mason's truck drive into the ally between the Grill and another store.

Damon unlocked the car and stepped out. Emma fumbled with the seat belt but still was about to get out of the car and catch up with Damon. As they neared the edge of the Grill's building, Damon held his hand out and they came to a stop.

"Okay," He turned to Emma. "I want you stay right here, alright? You're far enough just in case it gets ugly but close enough to see what's happening." he informed. Damon placed his hands on Emma's shoulders. "So, please, stay."

Emma thought for a moment before nodding. Damon let out a sigh of relief and walked down the ally as Mason was stepping out of his truck. Emma went straight up to the wall a peered around the corner, trying not to make her presence noticeable.

"Damon?" Mason asked, walking toward the vampire. "What? More dog jokes?"

Damon smirked and shook his head. "Nah, those got old." he said, before plunging the silver knife in Mason's chest. Mason fell to the ground with a grunt.

Emma covered her mouth to hold back her gasp. Damon walked up to Mason's truck and opened the back, looking through Mason's stuff. Damon held his hand out and beckoned Emma over. She pulled away from the wall and slowly began to walk make her way towards him, but stopped when she noticed Mason pull the knife out and getting up.

"Damon." she called out, making Damon turn around.

"You know," Mason said, casually walking back to his truck with the knife in hand. "I think it was werewolves that started the silver myth." Damon slowly backed up, going to Emma's position. "Probably for moments like this." Mason joked, closing the back of the truck.

"Duly noted." Damon replied, putting on a tight smile. Emma inched closer to Damon, to pull him back so they could get the hell out of there.

Mason looked down at his shirt and patted the spot where the blood was. "I was really looking forward to last call." Mason said, looking at Damon. Then, he went straight up to Damon's face. "Now you made an enemy." he threatened. Mason's eyes flickered to the young girl behind Damon. "Emma, you should be careful of who your friends are. You never know what crap they'll drag you in." he said, turning around and entering his car.

Emma ran the remaining part of the distance between her and Damon and dragged him out of the ally and onto the side walk. She started to fumble with her words. "What just- how did that- what?" she breathed out, starting to freak out on how Mason wasn't the least bit effected by the knife.

Damon rested his hands on Emma's shoulders. "Look at me." he said. Emma's blue green eyes met Damon's icy blue ones. "Emma, you need to calm down." Emma still breathed in and out rapidly, but slowed down a bit, listening to his words. "Okay, you good?" he asked. Emma nodded, making Damon crack a smile. "Good girl. Come on, after this encounter, I really want something to drink. Want hot chocolate?"

Emma nodded again and she let Damon guide her to the restaurant, feeling a bit better. Once they entered the Grill, Damon lead them to the bar.

"Hey, no kids up here." the bartender said, after Emma sat down on a stool.

Damon opened his mouth to counter, but Emma held her hand up. "It's okay. I'll just go sit with Caroline." she said, getting down and walking over to booth Caroline sat in by herself. "Hey." Emma said, sitting on the other side of the blonde.

Caroline looked up from her hands and lightly smiled at the girl. "Oh, hey. How was the rest of the barbecue?" she said, pushing aside her depressed state.

Emma noticed but didn't say anything about and just shrugged. "You and Elena didn't miss much." she responded. "And speaking of Elena," Emma looked around the restaurant. "where is she?"

Caroline looked down sadly. "I don't know." And just after she said that, the doppelganger walked in with Stefan behind her. Caroline turned and saw her.

"Elena." Emma called out, as the couple walked by.

Elena stopped and turned to her sister. "Hey." she responded with a smile, but it dropped when she glanced at Caroline. Emma was confused about what was going on between them.

"Elena," Caroline began. "I am so sorry about earlier today. I don't- I don't know what came over me." Caroline apologized.

"What happened?" Emma asked, resting her arms on the table.

Elena shook her head. "Nothing, Emma. And Caroline, it's okay. Everything you were saying was right. It's just hard for me to hear, you know?"

Caroline slowly responded. "So you're not mad at me?" Caroline hopefully asked.

Elena shrugged. "You're just being a good friend." Elena thought for a moment. "In your own way." she added.

"My own head-case, horrible way." Caroline admitted. Elena turned to walk away, but Caroline reached out and grabbed her arm. "Elena, I really am sorry." she said, a small smile at the end. Elena nodded and walked to the table where Stefan sat.

Emma leaned forward toward Caroline. "Care, what happened to day?" she asked once again.

Caroline let out a half hearted laugh. "Just me being an idiot." she replied. After a few seconds went by, Caroline looked like she was focusing her hearing on something.

Emma looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?" Emma looked around and her eyes landed on Elena and Stefan. To her, it seemed like they were having an intense conversation. "What are they saying?"

"I-I think they're breaking up." Caroline responded.

!What?, she thought. Emma's mouth feel open as she continued to watch the couple. Soon, Elena got up from her seat and left the Grill, a distraught look on her face. Emma looked back at Stefan to see him run a hand through his hair, looking down sadly at the table. How could they break up? Just then, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw that it was a text from Elena that read:

 _'Em, everything's okay. We didn't really break up. We faked it for Katherine. Meet me outside. Act like nothing happened.'_

Emma let out a little cough as she slipped her phone back into her pocket and got up from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Caroline asked, seeing the girl get up.

"Oh, Elena wants me to go home with her." the young Gilbert said, saying a quick 'Goodbye' and heading out the door. When she stepped out, she saw Elena standing next to her car with her arms crossed. "Ready?" Emma asked, going to the passenger seat.

Elena nodded and they entered the car.

Emma waiting till they were a good distance away from the Grill before speaking. "So, that was interesting." she said casually.

Elena sighed, tightening her rip on the wheel a bit. "Yeah, but, we have to make sure that this stays a secret. I don't want Caroline finding out and end up telling Katherine."

Emma's eyes widened. "Caroline's working for Katherine?" she asked.

Elena nodded. "That's what happened today. She was acting weird the whole time we were going to Stefan's."

Emma leaned back in her seat and huffed. "Wow, who would have thought." Elena nodded in agreement and the rest of the car ride was in silence.


	14. Kill or be Killed

Emma finished tying her shoes and exited her room, seeing Jeremy and Elena having a conversation. "Good morning." she said after she walked up to them.

"Morning." Jeremy grunted, giving Emma a quick glance before turning back to Elena. "By definition of being in this family," He held up his hand to show the Gilbert ring. "I'm involved."

Elena sighed. "This is dangerous, Jeremy." she said.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "But it isn't dangerous for Emma?" he countered. "Come on, Elena."

"She's been in this since almost the beginning. You have to stay out of it, okay?" Elena said, giving Jeremy a stern look.

Jeremy shrugged, giving up. "Alright. Just saying." he said, walking past Elena and Emma to go downstairs.

Emma watched him depart and frowned. How is it that she can participate in all this dangerous stuff but not Jeremy? It doesn't make sense. "He has a point, you know." Emma told Elena, leaning against the frame of the door.

Elena nodded and entered her room, Emma right behind. "I know, but everything is just so crazy right now." she said, opening her closet door to take out a jacket. Once she closed it, Stefan appeared on the other side, making the sisters jump in surprise.

Emma rested a hand over her heart. "God, Stefan. You gave me a heart attack." she said, breathing in and out to calm her rapidly beating heart.

Stefan smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Emma." He looked down at Elena and went to kiss her, but the doppelganger stopped him with her hand. Elena walked over to her room door and closed it.

"And that's my cue to leave." Emma said, grabbing onto the bathroom door handle. "I'll wait for you downstairs." She closed the door behind her and went into the living room to wait.

* * *

"So, suddenly, she's in the running for mother of the year, just when I'm trying to avoid her the most." Caroline ranted as she walked with the Gilbert sisters to paint somewhere. Though, the two weren't really paying attention to what she was saying. "I'm babbling. You guys don't want to here this." Caroline said when they made it to their post.

Emma set her paint down and looked at Caroline. "Sorry, Care. Continue. What happened next?" she said, starting to paint a piece of wood brown.

Caroline sighed. "Well, I was a bitch which is part for the course with us." As the girls painted, Caroline snuck a glance at Elena. "So, how are things with you and Stefan? Anything?" she asked.

Emma's eyes went to Elena's figure, seeing her tense a bit.

"No, not since the fight." the oldest Gilbert responded, perfectly acting as teen with relationship issues. "He's been pushing me away because he thinks that Katherine might get jealous enough to hurt me. I just don't know how to change his mind."

Emma kept painting as she watched Caroline move towards Elena and kneel next to her. The vampire glanced up and gave the young girl a look. Emma nodded in understanding and set her brush in the paint bucket.

"Uh, I'm gonna go get some more brushes." she said, walking backwards while pointing behind her.

Emma glanced back at the two as she walked towards a pickup truck with supplies. When she looked forward, she bumped into someone, making them drop the pieces of wood on the grass.

She bent down and helped the person pick them up. "Oh, my god. I am so sorry. I should have watched where I was going." she apologized.

The person laughed. "No, no. It's okay."

The voice sounded familiar to the young Gilbert. When she looked up, her eyes widened. There, looking back at her, was Jared. The last time she saw him was back when it was the carnival at the school.

"J-Jared." she stuttered out, blushing at her nervous state.

Jared smiled at her. "Hey, Emma. Long time no see." he said, standing up with the pieces of wood.

Emma nodded, getting up as well. "Yeah, yeah. Uh, the-the carnival." she remembered. She closed her eyes and sighed, annoyed about how nervous she was. "So, how's it going?" she asked, looking her eyes again.

Jared shrugged. "Everything's fine. I just wished we spent some more time together." he admitted, tilting his head to the side.

Heat rushed upon Emma's face once again. Why is he doing this to her? He's just a boy. A boy. A very. . . cute boy. With gorgeous hair. And an amazing smile. Yeah. Just. A boy.

Emma chuckled a bit. "Sorry about that. Family stuff."

"Well," Jared began. "maybe we could do something. Possibly next Friday night?" He smiled at her again.

Emma's mouth hung open after she heard him say those words. He just asked her out. He asked out plain old Emma. On a date. Never in a million years did she ever think someone would want to go out with her. Never.

"Uh-sure. Yeah. Yes." She let out a laugh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, I would love to."

Jared's blue eyes glinted in happiness(A/N: If that makes sense). "Awesome! Okay, so how about-"

"Gilbert." Damon announced, coming up to the two young teens. "I need help, come."

Emma scoffed and crossed her arms in annoyed. "Well, Damon, as you can see, I'm in the middle of a conversation."

Damon rose an eyebrow. He turned his head towards Jared and leaned closer to the boy's face. "Walk away-"

"W-wait, Damon!"

"-and carry on with your useless life." the vampire finished. Jared nodded in a daze and turned around, leaving the two alone. Damon smiled in triumph and looked at Emma, only to be met with a sharp glare.

"What the hell, Damon." Emma asked, cocking her head to the side. "Was it really necessary to compel him?"

With a simple shrug, Damon responded. "Yes because he was distracting you. There are more important press matters to get to. Come on." he said, already walking away.

Emma sighed and reluctantly followed Damon. "What do you possibly need my help for?" she asked.

"I plan on talking to Mason and by having you at my side, it will prevent Mason from trying to kill me." Damon explained, glancing around the park.

"Mason wouldn't do something stupid like killing you in public, Damon." Emma said, raising an eyebrow at the vampire's explanation. She thought for a moment and added, "Though, that would be something you would do."

Damon looked at her over his should with narrowed eyes, but kept walking and walked up a small set of stairs that was connected to a large gazebo. As she followed behind him, Emma noticed Mason standing by a lemonade stand, drinking from a plastic cup.

"Hello, Mason." Damon said when the two reached the werewolf. "Working hard?"

Mason nodded a little. "Doing my part." He glanced over at Emma and gave her a small nod. "Emma."

Emma awkwardly smiled in response and looked down, feeling the awkwardness growing around the three.

"I heard you talked to Stefan." Damon said.

Mason raised his cup in the air. "Nice guy."

Damon nodded. "Yeah. A lot nicer than me."

"Well," Mason moved his head around. "nice is overrated."

Damon reached out and nudged Mason on the shoulder. Emma tensed a little, thinking that Damon did it to get Mason pissed off or something. "That's what I think. Heh."

"You have a good day." Mason said, taking his leave.

Emma and Damon watched him depart in silence. When his figure was out of sight, Emma glanced at Damon with her arms crossed.

"So, that seemed to be a very civil conversation. Meaning that my presence here was a waste of time and I could have been talking to my," She had to think of the correct word to use. ". . . friend." she ended up saying. Jared just asked her out. It's not like she's just going to start using the boyfriend card right away.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever. That kid looks like trouble anyways. I basically saved you." Emma scoffed and looked around the park, watching people work.

"Please tell me you were just bonding."

The two turned to see Stefan walk up to them.

Completely ignoring his comment, Damon asked, "So what's up with this, um, faux drama in your relationship."

Stefan and Emma made quick eye contact upon hearing those words. Apparently, the couples acting needed a little work. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, Stefan. You and Elena don't fight." Damon said. "Especially not over me."

Stefan leaned towards Damon's face a little. "Drop it, Damon."

Damon smiled innocently. "With pleasure." He turned to the lemonade stand that the three were standing next to and went to pick up a cup when a little girl held one out to him.

"Would you like some lemonade?" she asked.

"Thank you sweetie." Damon said, grabbing the cup from her hands. Before he drank from the cup, he looked at Emma. "Why can't you be nice like that?"

Emma glared at him and punched his arm, which didn't effect the vampire at all. Damon smirked and drank the lemonade, only to cough and spit it out.

"Damon? What's wrong?" Emma asked worriedly as Damon hunched forward and dropped his cup.

Stefan guided Damon to a picnic table and sat him down. Damon pointed to the cup.

"Vervain." he said in a raspy voice.

Emma bent down, picked up the cup and sniffed the inside. From the time she's spent time with the Salvatores, she learned a lot of things. And one of those things was the smell of vervain. The cup definitely had the hint vervain.

Damon finally calmed down after a few minutes had gone by and got up angrily. He picked up a water bottle, opening it fast and gurgling the water. Emma stood next to him and patted his back. After he spit it out, he tossed the water bottle on the floor.

"I'm gonna kill him." Damon said angrily.

"How do you know that it was him?" Emma questioned.

Damon put his arms on his waist. "Oh, come on, Emma. Don't defend him. Mason is responsible for this." Damon countered, making the move to pass her and Stefan.

"Damon, no!" Emma said, pulling on his arm to stop him.

"No, hey." With Stefan's help, the two were able to get Damon to sit down.

"I'm not listening to any more of your give peace a chance crap." Damon said, struggling against Stefan's grip. "He's dead."

Stefan sighed. "Okay." He glanced at Emma, seeing her worried expression on her face. "I don't like it, but he's making threats. He could expose us. We need to put him down." he said.

Emma's head snapped up and she looked at Stefan, shocked.

"All right. Let's do it." Damon tilted his head to the side and saw Mason walking into the forest with trash cans. "Woods. Trash duty. Come on."

Emma stepped in front of the brothers before they were able to walk away. "Guys, are you sure this is the way to go?"

Damon scoffed. "Of course it is. Now move." he said, pushing Emma to the side and walking forward.

Stefan followed him. "Wait!" she said, stopping Stefan mid step. "This isn't right. Don't do it."

Stefan glanced at her over his shoulder. "We have no choice." And with that, he walked after Damon.

Emma stood there, watching the vampire's walk. Killing wasn't the solution to any of their problems whatsoever. After debating it over in her mind, Emma decided to follow the boys.

As she walked, she made sure not to get to close to them or they would know she was there. A few minutes had passed and the Salvatores made it to Mason's location. They circled the werewolf as Emma hid behind a tree.

Mason looked from Stefan and Damon, setting down the small tree branch he had in his hands.

"Don't look so surprised." Damon sneered. "You knew this was inevitable." He narrowed his eyes at him.

Mason looked around what seemed to be for a way out.

"Go ahead and run. I'll give you a head start." Damon offered.

Just then, Mason dropped to the ground and Damon was shot in the stomach. The noise echoed through the woods as Emma's eyes widened and she covered her mouth to hold in her gasp. Stefan turned around and got shot twice in the chest. Shot once again, Damon and Stefan fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Sheriff Forbes and one other cop walked toward their bodies with their guns out.

"Thank you, Mason." she said, bending down and injecting Stefan with vervain. The other officer did the same to Damon.

The young Gilbert took that as a sign to get out of there. Slowly, she backed up, keeping an eye on everyone in front of her to make sure they didn't see her. But as she walked, she felt someone grab her arm. Turning, she saw that it was a cop.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

Emma struggled against his grip. "Let me go!"

"Sheriff!" the cop called, dragging the girl to the others. Sheriff Forbes stood up from kneeling over Stefan and looked at Emma in surprise. "Found her behind a tree."

Sheriff Forbes looked at the fallen vampires and back at Emma. She sighed and tucked her gun between her jeans. "She'll have to come with us." Sheriff Forbes walked forward and grabbed Emma's other arm. "Pick them up."

"Please, let them go." Emma begged, watching Stefan's and Damon's unconscious bodies being lifted up by the two other cops. "They didn't do anything wrong." she tried to reason, desperately looking up at the Sheriff.

Sheriff Forbes shook her head lightly and made a gesture her arm out while looking at Mason. "Lead the way."

Mason nodded and began to walk through the forest, Emma, Sheriff Forbes, and the others behind him. Emma glared at the ground as they walked, angry at Sheriff Forbes for doing this to the brothers. She tried to get her arm out of the Sheriff's grip again.

"Emma, you need to stop." Sheriff Forbes firmly said, stepping over a fallen tree trunk.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'll stop when you let go of me. It's not like I'm going anywhere." she said, glancing at Mason and the two cops.

Sheriff Forbes thought for a moment before sighing and letting go of the brunette's arm. Emma brought her arm close to her chest and rubbed the area where it was grabbed, upset even more when she saw that a small bruise was forming because of the Sheriff's and cop's strong grip. She grumbled in annoyance and continued to follow Mason. Finally, after a few more minutes, Mason stopped next to a set of stairs that lets down into the ground.

"It's down the stairs to the left." Mason directed, pointing the way for the cops.

Sheriff Forbes went to follow them. "Careful, the wooden bullets and vervain won't keep them down for long." she said. "What is this place?" she asked Mason.

"Old slave quarters from the original Lockwood house." Mason responded. Sheriff Forbes nodded in content and disappeared underground.

Emma walked up the steps and stopped to peer down the opening. "What is this place really?" she asked Mason who stood next to her.

Mason, making sure Sheriff Forbes was out of hearing, answered the girl's question. "A place to control the werewolf." He then began to walk down. "Come on."

Before Emma went down, she looked behind her, seeing the openness of the woods. She could run right now. Go get Caroline and Elena to help. But she knew she would never make it. Though they wouldn't shoot a child, there were three armed cops and a werewolf that could get her before she was even 40 feet away from the dungeon. Sighing in defeat, she turned and descended down the stairs.

Entering a room with cells inside it, the young Gilbert watched as the cops carelessly dropped the Salvatore brothers on the floor.

"Hey!" she said, running toward their bodies and dropping down to her knees between them. She reached her arms out over them as if to protect them against the four older people.

Sheriff Forbes looked away from Emma, disapprovingly shaking her head at her, and stared at Mason in gratitude. "Thank you, Mason. We got it here."

One of the cops reloaded a gun and handed it to Sheriff Forbes.

"You're going to kill them, right?" Mason asked, pointing at Stefan and Damon.

The woman nodded. "Yes. That's why you should go with Emma."

Emma's head shot up at those words. "What?!" she shouted, standing up from her spot. "No, you can't do that." she said. "You can't just kill them. I know what they are but that doesn't mean you can just kill them." she defended.

Sheriff Forbes shook her head. "If you know what they, then you know what they do. They kill people and I won't let them get away with it." she said, already pointing the gun at the vampires.

Emma hopelessly shrugged. "How do you know that they were responsible for the resent attacks?" she shot back.

"Emma, that is enough." Sheriff Forbes sternly said.

Emma was taken back at the tone the Sheriff used on her. She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Stop trying to parent me like you're my mother."

Sheriff Forbes raised her eyebrows at the girl. Handing the gun to one of the cops real quick, Sheriff Forbes reached out and grabbed Emma by the arms, pulling her towards the chains attached to the walls. Picking up the cuffs, she cuffed Emma to the wall.

"You are underarest for resisting to follow orders from a police officer." Sheriff Forbes said before Emma could protest. Looking at Mason, she said, "Goodbye, Mason."

Mason nodded, quickly glancing at Emma, struggling against the chains, then left.

Sheriff Forbes grabbed the gun back and nudged Damon's leg to wake him. Damon could barely open his eyes, not fully concious yet. The Sheriff pointed the gun and shot Damon's thigh, making the vampire scream out in pain.

"Damon!" Emma cried from her spot chained to the wall. "Stop it!" she shouted, tugging at the chains to get loose.

Sheriff Forbes ignored her and cocked her head to the side, staring down at Damon. "This is how it's going to work. Answer me, and you don't get shot. Understand?"

Damon looked over at Stefan and then at Emma, not really surprised that she managed to get herself in the situation.

"How many are there of you?" the Sheriff asked.

Damon groaned. "Liz, please-" He was shot on the other thigh and once again cried out in pain.

Emma glared at the Sheriff with so much hatred. She hated that Sheriff Forbes was hurting people she cared about and that she couldn't do anything about it. She tugged at the chains again but of course, she was still stuck.

Sheriff Forbes reloaded the gun. "How did you fool us? How do you walk in the sun?"

Damon groaned and as a result, the Sheriff shot Stefan in the chest who was still unconscious.

"I will drag this out painfully." the woman threatened.

Damon looked up at Liz. "But you're my friend."

"Our friendship was a lie. Answer me, and I'll kill you fast." Damon didn't say anything again causing the Sheriff to sigh angrily. "He's not going to tell is anything. Kill them both." she said, looking at the two cops.

"No!" Emma yelled, trying to get up. "Leave them alone!"

"Let's do this. Each with a stake in the heart, then burn them both." Sheriff Forbes instructed.

"Damn it, stop!" Emma yelled just as there was a noise of squeaky metal.

Sheriff Forbes nudged her head in the direction of the noise at one of the cops. "Go check it out." The cop went out and ended up getting hit in the head by a wooden stick. Then, Elena walked in the room breathless. "Elena, what are you doing here?"

"You can't kill them. I'm not going to let you." the oldest Gilbert responded. The cop she hit came up behind her and shoved her further into the room, next to Emma. "Are you okay?" Elena whispered.

Emma nodded and pointed at the brothers. "We need to save them."

The metal door suddenly shut closed, causing everyone to be started.

"Who else is with you?" Liz asked, pointing the gun at the girls.

Elena looked just as confused as the rest of them. There was a sudden gush of wind.

One of the cops turned frantically to find the source. "What the-" A blurred figure went behind him and bit down on his neck. From where Emma was sitting, she noticed that the figure had been Caroline. The other cop began to shoot but Caroline used the injured cop as a shield, causing the man to get shot multiple times in the chest.

Dropping the body, Caroline rushed over to the other cop and knocked his out unconscious. She let out a hiss and looked at her mom, who was staring at her daughter in shock.

"Hi, mom."

* * *

Emma, rubbing her red wrists, sat next to Caroline as Damon drank blood from one of the cops and Elena rubbed Stefan's back. Damon raised his head and crawled over to Stefan, blood dripping from his mouth.

"You need to drink some deputy blood." he said, patting Stefan's shoulder.

Stefan shook his head. "No, no. I'll be fine. It's just going to take a little longer." he said, grunting.

"Damon's right, you know." Caroline began. "If there is ever time to break your diet, it's-"

"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena defensively said.

Caroline nodded slowly, backing off.

"Guys," Emma said, catching everyone's attention. "What do we do with her?" she asked, glancing at Sheriff Forbes who sat quietly on a rock in the corner.

Damon stood and walked slowly around. "Well, this is certainly a most unfortunate situation. 2 deputies dead." He dramatically turned to Sheriff Forbes. "And you." The Sheriff looked up at him scarcely. "What am I going to do with you?"

Emma tensed a little, scared at what Damon actually might do considering that he's probably beyond mad.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Caroline asked her mom. Sheriff Forbes looked at Caroline but quickly looked back down, not saying a word. "Mom? Please. Look, I know we don't get along and that you hate me, but I am your daughter and you'll do this for me, right?" Caroline begged, looking at her mother desperately. Liz never said a word, tears forming in her eyes. "Mom, he will kill you."

Damon nodded in agreement.

Liz looked up at Damon. "Then kill me."

"What?" Emma said aloud.

"I can't do this." the older woman said, starting to cry. Damon walked closer to Liz as Emma and Caroline got up. "Kill me now."

Emma watched as Damon knelt in front of Sheriff Forbes. "But you were going to drag it out so painfully." He then grabbed Liz roughly, making everyone panic.

"Damon, no!" Emma said, as Stefan and Elena also pleaded.

Damon glanced at them from behind. "Relax. No one's killing anybody." Everyone calmed a little. Damon looked back at Liz. "You're my friend." It was quiet for a while till Damon looked around. "We need to clean this up."

1234

Damon reached out and handed Sheriff Forbes her cell phone. "What do you want me to do with this?" she asked.

Emma crossed her arms across her chest as she leaned against the wall next to the cell door. "We want you to call in sick at work." the girl responded.

Sheriff Forbes tapped the phone before turn it on and dialed the number of the police department. She sighed when the line was answered and began to explain her absence at work for the next couple of days.

"A stomach bug." Liz said. "Yeah. It came on fast."

As she talked, Emma pushed herself off the wall and went next to Damon. "Hey, you healing okay?" she asked, holding her hands behind her back.

Damon smirked and glanced at Emma teasingly. "Oh, you care?"

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Damon. The one time I actually try. . ."

Damon chuckled. "I'm kidding. I healed alright." He smiled genuinely this time. "Thanks for asking though." he said.

Emma smiled back and turned to Sheriff Forbes who hung up the phone and handed it back to Damon.

"Thank you." the vampire said, as Liz walked past the two, observing the cell. "It's not exactly the Ritz but it's secure." He turned toward her. "I brought you good thread count. And once the vervain's worked its way out of your system, I will compel you to forget everything be a free woman."

"Keep Caroline away from me, please." Sheriff Forbes asked.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Why do you want that?"

Liz looked down. "I don't want to see her."

Letting out a scoff, Emma opened her mouth to speak but Damon stopped her. "But she's your daughter, Liz."

Liz shook her head. "That's not my daughter. She's gone."

"How can you say that?" Emma burst out. She went straight up to Liz and crossed her arms. "She's your daughter. Caroline's going through a tough time right now and you're supposed to support her and cherish her like a mother's supposed to do." She groaned frustratingly and threw her arms up in defeat. "You know what, I can't even look at you right now." she said, running out of the cell and into the hall way, only to run into Caroline, Elena, and Stefan.

Upon seeing Caroline's face, Emma reached forward and hugged Caroline. Right after pulling apart, Caroline turned around and walked off, with Elena following behind her. Emma watched as they left, Stefan included, and sighed.

As she stood there thinking, she heard a commotion further down the hallway. She walked over to see Elena staring at Stefan in pure sadness.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking from the two.

Elena shook her head, small tears forming in her eyes. "Uh, nothing, Emma. Come on, let's go upstairs." she said, walking away quickly.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and looked at Stefan for a little help but he just turned and walked to the open freezer that was holding blood bags. The young girl took that time to walk away, not wanting to know what Stefan was planning with that. Catching up with Elena, the two sisters walked up the stairs and entered the living room where Caroline was sitting on the couch looking down sadly.

"Can I take you home?" Elena asked, leaning against one of the reading chairs.

Caroline shook her head with tears falling from her eyes. "No, I can't go home."

"How come, Care?" Emma asked, sitting on the couch next to Caroline.

"Because I'm scared."

Elena also walked over, concerned as to why Caroline would be scared. "Why are you scared?" She sat on the ottoman in front of Caroline and put a comforting hand on the vampire's knee. "You can talk to us."

Caroline took a deep breath before saying, "Katherine's going to be there, and she's going to want me to tell her everything that happened today." Emma shifted in her seat, already know about Caroline's business with Katherine. "She told me I had to spy on you and report back to her."

"We know." Elena admitted, earning a shocked look on Caroline's face. "And I've been so mad at you. But then, I tried to put myself in your position so that I could understand why you would do this to me, and to Stefan, because he's been such a friend to you." Elena and Emma each took a hand. "Who did she threaten?"

"Matt." Caroline responded, crying even more. "She threaten Matt. And I'm so scared of her."

"We all should be." Emma stated. "We all should be."

"Why is she doing this?" Caroline asked. "What does she want?"

Elena thought for a moment and shook her head. "That's the million dollar question."

Emma reached forward and wrapped her arm around Caroline's neck, bringing her down into a hug. Elena moved to sit on the other side of Caroline, rubbing her back.

After some time went by, Caroline fell asleep in Emma's arms and Emma was fighting the tiredness that was weighing heavily on her. Elena seemed to have noticed because she got up and tried to get Emma up but the young girl refused, wanting to stay with Caroline. Elena understood and went to go home.

Emma continued to sit on the couch, thinking about how much is going on and how much she could handle. It's like every corner she turns, there's always a problem and there's never a way to fix it. And it just keeps piling on and on. When will it ever end?

* * *

"Hey."

Emma looked up tiredly to see Damon standing next to the couch. "Hi." she whispered, petting Caroline's head.

"You should go to sleep." he suggested, leaning against the arm of the couch. Emma shook her head 'no' and her head began to droop down a bit. "Like in a bed." Damon said.

"No, Damon." Emma responded, looking down at Caroline sleepily. "I want to stay with Caroline and make sure she's okay." she said, yawning at the end if her sentence.

Damon chuckled and walked up towards the Gilbert. "Nope. Come on. You're going to bed." Before Emma could protest, Damon pointed at Caroline's sleeping figure. "She'll be here in the morning." After thinking about it for a moment, Emma finally nodded in defeat and helped Damon make Caroline get comfortable on the couch.

Emma stood from draping a blanket over Caroline and left out a big yawn, rubbing her eyes at the same time. She made the move to walk forward, but she was so exhausted that she couldn't walk straight. Hearing a sigh, she felt herself being lifted up and when she opened her eyes, she saw that she was in Damon's arms.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked in a whisper.

"Shh," Damon shushed, walking up the stairs. "Go to sleep."

Emma stayed awake as he carried her. She wasn't paying attention to where he was taking her but after a while, she felt the softness of the bed underneath her. The young girl snuggled with the pillow and watched Damon make his way to the door of the room.

"Goodnight." she said, her eyes finally giving in and closing.

Damon looked back at her from the opened door and smiled a little. "Goodnight."


	15. Plan B

Emma let out a groan as she rubbed her face, beginning to wake up. Opening her eyes slowly, she took in her surroundings. Apparently, she was in one of the rooms at the boarding house. The problem was she didn't recognized and she had gone through the whole entire place.

It was a simple room. The bed she was in was placed on the far corner of the room but turned slightly at an angle. There were end tables on each side of the bed. A tall dresser was against a wall with a TV on it. There was a bathroom attached to it as well. But, to the young girl, the room seemed bare. Not much stuff in it like Stefan's room, it lacked character. Emma had just sat up on the bed when the door opened to reveal Damon.

"Well, well. Look who's awake." he said, closing the door and going into the closet that was off to the side.

Emma let out a yawn. "How long was I asleep?"

From the closet, Damon replied, "Two days."

The young Gilbert's eyes widened in shock. "What?" She was a sleep for _2 days?_ How is that even possible?

There was a chuckle. "Yeah, at first I thought you were dead," Damon said, stepping out of the closet and sat on the corner of the bed with a different shirt on. "but then I heard your little heart beating."

Emma let out a breath. "Wow. So, wha-" she began, looking down to realize she was in different clothes. She rose an eyebrow at the vampire quickly.

"Elena changed your clothes so you would be comfortable." he said, making Emma sigh in relief. "Why, did you think I would do something like that?" he asked her accusingly.

Emma bit her lip, trying to find the words to explain. It's not that she thought he would do that, it's just that you can never be too sure with Damon. He's just a box full of surprises.

Damon scrunched his face in disgust. "Ew. You actually think I would do that. Sorry, but I don't go for preschoolers. I mostly want women who are, what's the word, fully developed." he said, moving his hands around to emphasize what he meant.

It was Emma's turn to look at the vampire in disgust and threw a pillow at him. "Get out." she ordered, laying back down on the bed.

"You can't tell me to get out of my own room." Damon shot back, crossing his arms.

"Wait. If this is your room then why am I in here?" Emma asked, throwing her arms in exaggeration.

Damon shrugged, laying on the bed next to Emma. "I was too lazy to go to a different room and this one was closest."

Emma nodded, understanding he would feel that way. The two stayed silent for some time before Emma broke it. "How's Sheriff Forbes?"

"Well, we think the vervain is almost gone and Caroline has been trying to talk to her but Liz chooses to ignore every word."

Emma sighed sadly. She couldn't really blame Sheriff Forbes for acting the way she was. She's in disbelief. Her own daughter was the very creature she was raised to hate. How else was the woman supposed to respond?

"Is it bad that I feel guilty for yelling at her?" Emma asked, remembering blowing up in Sheriff Forbes face.

Damon let out a laugh. "Don't. You spoke your mind and she deserved it." He looked over at the young girl, seeing her uneasy face. "Pipsqueak, stop worrying. If you want I could compel her to forget what you said."

Face scrunched up, Emma thought it over. "Um, sure? I don't know, do whatever you want."

"Alright, just don't be disappointed with what I pick." Damon said, and the two settled in a peaceful silence. That was until he sprang up from the bed and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked, sitting up on the bed.

Damon let out an annoyed sigh. "Your brooding brother's here." he said, closing the door behind him.

Quickly getting up, Emma jumped out of the bed and followed after Damon. She made it just in time as he opened the door to reveal her older brother.

"I need to talk to you." Jeremy stated, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder.

"And why would I need to talk to you?" Damon retorted.

Emma walked up to the vampire and slapped his arm. "Be nice. Let him talk."

Jeremy smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Emma. Look, Tyler Lockwood has to kill someone to activate his curse. He's not a werewolf yet." he informed.

Damon made a face as if thinking. "Eh, not good enough." he said, beginning to close the door. Emma pushed him out of the way and left the door opened.

"But Mason Lockwood is, and he's looking for a moon stone." Jeremy explained, growing anxious that Damon might walk away.

"A moon stone? What's that?" Emma asked, leaning against the door frame.

Jeremy took a small step forward. "It's a special rock connected to the werewolf legend. That's why he's here." Jeremy smiled before finishing his speech with, "And I know where it is."

"And you're bringing me this why?" Damon questioned.

Jeremy sighed in annoyance. "Do I need a reason? Look, I just want to help, okay?"

Damon crossed his arms, and tilted his head to the side. "What did your," Damon glanced at Emma and back at Jeremy. "older sister say about this little discovery?"

Jeremy looked down at his feet, staying silent.

"Wait, Jer, you didn't tell Elena?" Emma inquired, kind of shocked that he would hold this information, very important information, from her.

"I'm sorry, Emma. Elena doesn't want me getting involved in all this."

Damon sarcastically smiled. "And you're a Gilbert and you just can't help yourself." Damon said. "I learned that the hard way." he stated, looking at Emma once again. "Your search for life's purpose is as obvious as it is tragic."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "You going to let me in or not?"

"What should I do, Emma?" Damon asked the young girl.

Emma scoffed at the question. "Seriously? Come in Jeremy." she said, opening the door wider to let Jeremy inside the boarding house.

Damon groaned and walked ahead to the living room. "Ugh, I need a drink if he's here."

"So, Em, this is where you've been hanging out?" Jeremy asked, ignoring Damon's comment while entering the house and setting his backpack on one of the couches.

Emma rolled her eyes and sat cross legged on the reading chair. "'Hanging out' isn't the word I would use. It's more like I fell asleep and Elena didn't take me home." she said, putting her arm on the side of the chair and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "So," she began, getting more serious. "you've been hanging out with Tyler?"

Jeremy leaned against the chair she was sitting on and crossed his arms. "Don't tell me that you're going to give me the 'it's too dangerous' speech."

Emma bit her lip nervously. "Okay, maybe I was." Jeremy angrily sighed. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "but it is."

"Emma-"

"He's a freaking werewolf." Emma stated. "or will soon have the ability to become one. I would count that as pretty dangerous, Jeremy." the young Gilbert reasoned, though it seemed that Jeremy didn't care. Emma leaned back on the chair. "Fine, whatever. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I appreciate it but you need to trust me."

Putting an end to the conversation, Rick opened the front door and entered the boarding house with a box full of files.

"Rick, my favorite vampire hunter!" Damon exclaimed, moving to stand next to the couch.

Alaric nodded his head in greeting, walking into the living room to see Jeremy next to Emma. "What are you doing here?" he asked, setting the box down on the table.

"Helping them. I'm the one who found out about the moon stone." Jeremy responded.

Alaric looked at Emma and Damon for confirmation only to receive shrugs from them both. "Does Elena know you're here?"

Jeremy hesitated. "Not exactly." he said as Damon walked past him to the box Alaric brought.

"What you got?" the vampire asked, lifting up the lid. Emma got up from the chair and went next to the two older men to look at the papers.

"Oh, this is Isobel's research from Duke. Her assistant sent it to me." Rick informed, rubbing his eyes.

Damon was holding a file when he smiled in remembrance. "Hmm. Vanessa, the hottie. A _developed_ woman." he said dreamily. Emma glared at him, taking his glass out of his hands and dumping it in a nearby plant. She handed the glass back to him with an innocent smile, seeing his pissed expression at her action.

"Yeah, Vanessa, yes." Alaric said, giving the two a strange look out of confusion on what was happening. Shaking his head, he continued. "Now do you remember the old Aztec curse she told us about?"

Damon thought for a moment. "Sun, and the moon. Blah, blah, blah."

"The Aztec curse, cool." Jeremy said, joining the three.

Alaric nodded. "Yeah, supposedly vampires and werewolves used to roam freely until a shaman put a curse on them to limit their power." he began, as Emma pulled a piece of paper that had pictures on it. "Since then, werewolves can only turn on a full moon and vampires are weakened by the sun." he explained as Damon wiggled the finger his sunlight ring was on.

"Most of them, anyway."

"According to the legend, the werewolf part of the curse it's sealed with the moonstone." Alaric said, putting his arms on his hips.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "You're saying that a rock created the curse?" she stated in a form of a question.

Damon walked up to the fireplace. "It's a witch thing. Whatever seals the curse is usually the key to unsealing the curse."

"Maybe Mason Lockwood believes he can use the moonstone to break the curse." Alaric suggested.

Damon walked back to the group. "If we start believing in some supernatural witchy-woo legend from a picture book, we're idiots."

"Okay," Emma began, setting the picture down on the table. "who has the stone now?"

"Tyler." Jeremy said.

Damon tilted his head. "Can you get it?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah."

Damon opened his arms out wide. "See, now your life has purpose."

Jeremy rose an eyebrow in questioning. "So you believe it?" he asked the vampire.

"It's the same book that says a werewolf bite kills a vampire. Ignoring it would make me a bigger idiot." Damon said, placing his empty glass on the table.

Emma smiled. "Ha, he admits it." Alaric and Jeremy to laugh at her comment. "Okay, boys, let's go." she said, going towards the front door.

"Pajamas." Jeremy called out.

Emma turned sharply to the stairs and lifted her hand up. "I knew that."

* * *

"What's the plan?" Emma asked, following Damon and Jeremy up the steps of the Lockwood Mansion.

Damon slightly turned his head to the side but kept looking forward when he responded. "I gotta find Stefan and fill him in."

Emma nodded and stopped to point outside. "I'll go look for Tyler and text you guys when I find him." She broke from the guys and exited the house to the backyard. It took her several minutes to try and find Tyler because of how many people there was to set up for the masquerade. She did find him eventually, working on something at a table.

After texting Jeremy and Damon his location, Emma went up to the patio and watched Tyler from a distance in case he walked away. Feeling the presence of two people, Emma looked at both her sides to see Damon and Stefan next to her.

"Where is he?" Damon asked, surveying the area.

Emma pointed at the tables where Jeremy appeared to speak to Tyler. "There." Jeremy and Tyler talked for sometime. Though she couldn't hear a thing going on, she knew Stefan and Damon were able to. She crossed her arms and looked at the vampires only to see them staring at each other, having their own private conversation with their eyes. "What? What did they say?" she asked, uncrossing her arms and turned her back on her brother and potential werewolf.

"Uncle Mason has the moonstone." Damon informed.

Emma let out a groan and rubbed her face. "Why am I not surprised. What now?"

Stefan bit his lip and responded, "Bonnie." The three nodded and walked together to get the witch. Once they found her, they led her to a quiet part of the backyard.

"Okay, this is as far as I go." Bonnie said, making a stop. She looked at the three. "What do you want?"

"A favor." Damon stated.

Bonnie let out a dry laugh. "Like that's going to happen."

Damon sighed dramatically. "So predictable. That's why I brought them." he said, staring at Stefan and Emma.

"I know how you feel about helping us out but since you're the one that linked Mason with Katherine, we finally have an opportunity to get an upper hand on both of them, so just hear us out." Stefan explained calmly.

Emma on the other hand was in shock at what he said about Mason and Katherine. "Wait. Mason and Katherine?" she said with wide eyes.

Damon inhaled sharply. "Oh, yeah. Forgot to mention that."

Bonnie crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I'm listening." she said, just as Stefan's phone began to ring.

"I have to fill Elena in on what's going on." he said, taking out his phone from his pocket. He looked at Damon sharply. "Can you play nice please?"

Emma rested a hand on Stefan's arm. "Don't worry, I'll handle him." she assured. He nodded in thanks and walked off, answering his phone.

Damon continued to explain the plan. "All you have to do is touch Mason Lockwood again, see if he gave Katherine the moonstone."

"My visions don't work like that. I don't get to ask the questions." Bonnie said.

Emma sighed, disappointingly, though got an idea. "What about capturing him?"

Damon snapped his fingers. "Exactly. The little witchy juju thing you did on me, the one where my brain goes into flames, is that vampire-specific?"

Bonnie shrugged. "It works on anyone with a supernatural healing ability, but I am not going to help you hurt him."

"Mason is a werewolf, Katherine's evil. They're the bad guys." Damon tried to reason. "Really? You're going to play morality police with me right now? Let me put it to you in another way; they're a threat to Elena so you, witch, are going to get over yourself and help us." he said as Stefan joined the group again.

"Uh, please." Emma added, making Damon's request sound more polite.

Bonnie thought for a moment and finally agreed. The plan was for Bonnie to get Mason alone to use her magic on him. She was successful and Damon went up to Mason and kneed him in the face, knocking him out. Emma and Stefan came out of their hiding spots and dragged Mason's body into Mason's car.

* * *

"Here's his bag. As requested." Bonnie said, setting Mason's bag on a chair as Damon set Mason on a chair in the middle of the library.

"Okay, Emma grab that corner." Damon instructed, grabbing an end of a tarp that was spread on top of the carpet.

Emma grabbed another end and began to flatten it out. "What's this for?"

Damon looked up when he was finished. "I don't want to stain the carpet."

"I knew you were going to say something like that." Bonnie said, moving to stand in front of the unconscious werewolf.

Damon grunted when he got up. "Judging again."

"He's not going to be out much longer." Bonnie warned, staring down a Mason.

Emma went over to Mason's bag and opened it, only to be shocked to see a lot of chains inside of it. "Whoa." she said, raising them up to show Damon and Bonnie. "I think I found something to tie him up with."

Damon reached out for them and Emma walked over to him, helping him tie it around Mason. As they did so, Bonnie grabbed onto Mason's head, and closed her eyes in concentration.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, looking at Bonnie in confusion.

With her eye still closed, Bonnie replied, "You're looking for a moon stone. I am trying to help you find it."

"Oh, good. Find out if he gave it to Katherine, and find out where she is." Damon requested. "And find out what they're going to do with it. Once they get it." he added.

Emma looked at Damon from wrapping the chains around Mason with her eyebrows furrowed. "You're asking for a lot, Damon."

"Somewhere small." Bonnie said, already seeing something. "Dark. There's water."

"Like a sewer?" Damon asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "No. Like a well? That can't be right." Bonnie paused, thinking more. "Yeah, it's a well." she confirmed.

"Why would Mason put it in a well?" Emma asked, trying to come up with an idea.

Bonnie looked annoyingly at Emma. "I told you, I only get what I get."

Suddenly, Mason's hand reached out and caught onto Bonnie's arm, causing everyone to gasp in surprise. Emma helped Damon pry Mason's hand off of Bonnie. When she was free, Bonnie backed far from the werewolf angrily.

"That's it. That's all I got." the witch said, already walking towards the exit.

"Hey, judgey." Damon called out. "Thank you." he said.

Bonnie nodded at him and turned to leave again.

Mason began to wake up. "Come on." Damon said. "Wake up, wolf boy." Damon pulled his arm back and punched Mason in the face really hard.

Emma winced, watching Mason's eyes snap open as his head went to he right from the punch.

"Emma, I don't think you should stay for this." Damon said, looking over at the young Gilbert, having seeing her flinch. He went over to the fireplace and grabbed one of the fire pokers.

Emma stared at the poker, imagining what he would do with it. "Um, I want to." she said, fiddling with her hands as she stood her ground.

Stirling the poker around, Damon stuck it over the fire. "Alright, if you want to. But don't say I didn't warn you." he said.

Emma nodded in understanding and watched Mason, who was starting to go crazy being chained up. Damon noticed Mason's struggles and smiled at it.

"Heh. Someone's feisty."

Mason glared at Damon and Emma, still struggling. With too much force, Mason caused the chair he was tied to to fall backwards. Damon and Emma walked up to stand next to Mason.

"What?!" the werewolf shouted, full of rage.

Damon reached out and stabbed Mason in the chest, making him screamed out in pain. Emma unconsciously flinched as Mason screamed. Damon pulled the fire poker out and rested over his shoulder.

"You can hurt. Good to know. I was afraid you were going to be some beast mass with no affinity for pain." Damon said, staring down at Mason. He bent down and moved Mason's shirt aside to show the wound begin to heal. "Oh, but you heal quickly. Not good. Guess I have to keep applying pain." Damon grabbed onto the chains and lifted Mason up and then went back to heating the fire poker. "Emma," he said, grabbing the young girl's attention. "since you're going to just stand there and watch me inflict pain onto Mason, you should ask some questions."

Emma nodded and stood straighter, turning her body to face Mason. "Um, Katherine. How'd you meet her?"

Mason didn't reply and continued to try to free himself.

Damon turned to the werewolf. "I think she asked you something." When Mason still didn't answer, Damon began to get a little mad. "I have all day." he said, walking up to Mason and stabbing him in the stomach with the fire poker again.

Mason screamed in agony, tightening his hands on the handles of the chair. Damon pulled the poker out **(A/N: that sounds wrong on so many levels)** and again, put the poker in the fire.

"When did you meet her? Did she seduce you, tell you she loved you?" Damon asked. "You're supernatural so she can't compel you. I'm sure she used her other charms. Katherine's good that way."

Emma noticed Jeremy enter the room with the box Alaric brought. "Jer."

"I, uh, found something in Rick's box of stuff." her older brother said, setting the box down. Emma stood next to him, peering at his findings.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

Jeremy lifted a wrapped substance and held it up as Damon set the fire poker down and stood with them. "I did research on my phone. It's a plant called aconitum vulparia. It grows in the mountainous areas of the northern hemisphere, commonly known as aconite, blue rocket and wolfsbane." Jeremy informed as Damon unwrapped the cloth to show the dried plant.

"What else did you read?" Damon asked.

"Well, every source says something different." he said, holding his phone out. "One myth say it causes lycanthropy, which is bogus. And the other says, well, it's toxic."

"Guessing toxic." Damon said, taking one piece of the plant out.

Emma noticed Mason struggled a little more desperately as Damon walked closer to him.

Damon placed himself in front of Mason, holding the wolfsbane out. "What's Katherine doing in Mystic Falls?" Mason didn't say a word and Damon rubbed the wolfsbane against the werewolf's cheek. As a result, Mason began to scream out in pain as the herb burned his skin. "Why is she here?" Damon asked again.

"She's here with me." Mason said. "Why do you ask, you jealous?"

Emma's eyebrows rose up in surprise by his outburst.

"How rude of me." Damon said, and let out a dry chuckle. "You know, I realized I didn't offer you anything to eat." The Salvatore then shoved the wolfsbane in Mason's mouth. Mason gagged.

Emma made a face of disgust as Mason coughed up the wolfsbane.

"Why do you want the moon stone?" Damon asked.

Spit and pieces of wolfsbane dripped down Mason's chip. "Screw you!" Mason shouted, biting down on his teeth from the pain.

Damon made the noise of a buzzer. "Wrong answer." He made the move toward Mason again but Jeremy stepped forward.

"If he was going to say anything, he would have already."

Emma grabbed onto Jeremy's arm to hold him back. "Jer, stop. Let Damon do what he needs to do."

Damon, grateful that Emma was holding back her annoying brother, glared at Mason. "I'm taking your eyes now." He lifted the wolfsbane to hover in front of Mason's eyes when Mason confessed.

"The well! You can find it there." Mason admitted, breathing heavily.

Damon leaned forward. "We know. I want to know what is does and why you want it."

"I'm getting it for Katherine."

"Why?"

"She's going to use it to lift the curse."

Emma peered down at Mason from behind. "Why would Katherine, who's a vampire, help you, a werewolf, break a curse that stops you from turning whenever you want?" she asked.

"So I wouldn't have to turn anymore."

Emma was surprised at how easily Mason was giving them the information. She expected him to put up more of a fight to keep what he knew to himself. But she guessed he couldn't take the burning anymore.

"Why?"

"Because she loves me."

Jeremy and Emma shared a look. Mason has no idea how wrong he is about that.

Damon seemed to have lost it a bit when he heard that Katherine supposedly loved Mason. "Now I get it. You're just stupid." Mason looked down sadly. "Katherine doesn't love you. She's using you, you moron."

Mason shook his head. "I'm done talking."

Damon nodded along. "Yes, you are." He handed the remaining wolfsbane to Jeremy. "Take Emma on a walk, Jeremy."

"I'm staying." Jeremy stated.

Emma was confused. "Wait, what are you going to do, Damon?"

"You guys need to go."

"I'm staying." Jeremy said once again.

Mason looked up at Jeremy. "Just help Tyler. Don't let this happen to him."

Jeremy stared back at Mason. "Damon-" Just then, Damon shot forward and pinned Jeremy on the couch with his hand around his throat.

"Damon!" Emma shouted, frozen in place.

"You wanted to be part of this?" Damon asked. "Well, here it is. Kill or be killed. The guy's a werewolf. He'd kill me the first chance he got!" the vampire spat. "So you suck it up, or leave." Damon let go of Jeremy's throat and went to stand in front of Mason again. "He wants me to kill him, anyway." When he was directly in front of Mason, he continued talking. "It really is a curse, isn't it?"

Jeremy got up from the leather seat and left the library room angrily.

"You know, I look at you and see myself." Damon explained. Emma saw that he was thinking back to when Katherine deceived him back when he was still human. "A less dashing, less intelligent version."

"I love her." Mason blurted.

"Oh, I know!" Damon yelled, his anger getting the best of him. "I've been where you are." he said, a little more calmly. "But Katherine will only rip your heart out. Let me do it for her."

That was when quickly Emma went in front of Mason and brought her arms out to shield the werewolf from Damon. "Damon, stop."

"Move, Emma." he growled.

"Damon, please." she pleaded. "I know I was the one who suggested this, but it was because we needed answers. We got them. Now he can be let go."

"Go."

"No, Damon! This isn't right. It's not the way to go." Emma said, standing her ground.

Damon's nostrils flared. "Then you leave me no choice." Reaching down, Damon ripped off Emma's vervain bracelet, making Emma's eyes widen, and began his compulsion on her. "Leave the room."

She already felt her body begin to head towards the door but she tried in all her power to stay. "Da-"

"Shut up and leave the room." he commanded.

Emma couldn't fight the compulsion anymore and began to walk unwillingly. As she walked, tears fell from her eyes, feeling like a failure for not being able to stop Damon. She heard a sickening crunching noise, followed by Mason grunting in pain. Emma had just made it to the door when there was a squishing noise and Mason's screams ceased. More tears fell and she felt arms wrap around her. She immediately hugged back, knowing that the arms belonged to Jeremy.

* * *

Emma and Jeremy sat next to each other in the waiting room, anxious to find out about Jenna's current condition. Emma looked up in time to see Elena walk through the double doors.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked, both siblings getting up from their seats.

"The doctors told Alaric that she got lucky." Elena explained. Emma released a breath of relief, fresh tears flowing of happiness. "She's going to make it. She's going to be okay."

Emma sniffled before asking, "Does she remember what happened?"

Elena shook her head. "No, nothing. It's all part of Katherine's mind compulsion."

"Why would Katherine hurt Jenna?"

"Because she's trying to send a message that she could get to anybody." Elena replied, on the verge of tears.

At those words, Emma shook with anger. "I need to step out." Emma said, turning and leaving the hospital. She knew what she was doing was a bit selfish, her family needed her, but she needs to be alone.

That bitch has been causing problems for _everyone._ Because of her, John had his fingers chopped off and was stabbed in the stomach. Because of her, she made Damon obsessed of freeing her from the tomb which resulted in Grams dying because of the spell they used. Because of her, Caroline became a vampire and now they had to deal with Sheriff Forbes not exposing her own daughter to the rest of the Founders council. And now because of her, Jenna nearly died. Katherine needed to go. She needed to go now.


	16. Masquerade

"Guys, please be careful." Emma said worriedly, as she watched Matt and Jeremy carry Jenna inside the Gilbert home.

Jenna let out an annoyed sigh. "Emma, stop fussing. I'm fine."

Elena and Emma walked next to Jenna and Matt as they made their way to the living room. "The doctor said that you have to take it easy." Elena explained, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.

"Yeah, you don't wanna rip the stitches, hemorrhage and die, all right?" Jeremy said, closing the front door and joining the group.

Matt gently guided Jenna down the one little step in front of them. "The only thing I'm gonna die from is embarrassment." The woman then looked over at Matt as he began to deny. "I 'walked' into a knife. How does somebody do that?"

Elena, Emma and Jeremy shared a look, unsure how to react to that.

"It was a freak accident." Elena said.

Emma shrugged. "It's common."

Jeremy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it happens."

Matt glanced back at the three Gilberts and laughed. "Yeah. I mean, I've done it, like, 20 times at The Grill." he said, making Jenna give him a playful glare. "Okay, I'm being nice." They all laughed and Matt, with the help of Emma and Jeremy, carefully set Jenna down on the couch.

Matt lifted up the bag of food from the grill. "What should I do with this?"

Emma reached over and took it from his hands. "I got it." she said, going around the couch and following Elena into the kitchen. Jeremy also went with them.

"So," he said, as Emma placed the bag on the island. "what are we gonna do?"

"Make lunch." Elena said, putting the stuff she was carrying down.

Emma shook her head. "No, Elena, about Katherine."

"We are not going to do anything, guys."

Jeremy snuck a quick glance back at Jenna. "She tried to kill Jenna. We can't let her get away with that."

Elena opened the bag of food as she answered. "Yes, we can. If it keeps us safe, then we can."

Jeremy and Emma glanced at each other, surprised by the way Elena was acting.

"Elena, you're acting like she won't do something again." Emma said, leaning against the island with her arms crossed on the surface.

Elena looked over at her younger siblings, annoyed. "She won't. Katherine hurt Jenna because I didn't do what she said. Well, I'm doing it now. Me and Stefan are over. She wins. The end." she said, taking out a container full of food from the bag.

"You're being naive and you know it." Jeremy said, looking disappointingly at Elena before turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked.

"Out." he said, going over to the dinning table and grabbing his jacket. "I'll be back!" With that, he went out the door.

Emma watched after him and looked at Elena. "I'm going with him. Bye." she said quickly, not letting Elena stop her as she went out the door. She had to run to be able to catch up with Jeremy. "Jer. Wait." Jeremy stopped at the car and turned around. "Where are you going?" she asked when she finally caught up with him.

Jeremy shrugged and tried to act natural. "Uh, no where. Just thought I could go to The Grill and eat."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "Really? So the food that we got at The Grill not even 20 minutes ago is no good?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as Jeremy realized his mistake. "Come on, Jeremy."

Jeremy sighed. "Fine, don't tell Elena. I'm going to Damon and Stefan's to find out a way to kill Katherine."

Thinking for a moment, Emma nodded her head in content and got into the car. When she saw her brother standing in his spot, she opened her door again. "Well, what are you waiting for? We have a vampire to kill."

* * *

Emma stood next to Damon and Alaric in front of a table full of weapons as the history teacher explained how each one worked. She reached over and grabbed a shot gun, cocking it and pointing at Damon. Damon glared at her as she pretended to shoot him.

"Let me take that." Alaric said, taking the gun out of Emma's hands.

Emma pouted and started to fiddle with a vervain dart. "Alaric, you're such a buzz kill. It's not like I was actually going to shook him."

"Of course you wouldn't because I would kill you before you could get the chance." Damon said, crossing his arms.

Emma gripped the dart in her hand and immediately got into a defensive position. "Wanna bet?" she said, a lazy grin on her face. Damon pushed his sleeves and got into a stance as well but the two were stopped by Stefan.

"Seriously guys?" he said, crossing his arms looking at the two.

Emma gave him a small smile before turning her attention to Alaric as he began to explain what each weapon did. Damon rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the table of guns. "Whatever, baby bro."

Stefan let out a sigh as the front door's bell rang.

"I got it!" Caroline said, running from the library to the door. Thirty minutes earlier, Caroline had call Bonnie to come over to the boarding house with Grams' grimoire, not telling her the reason why. So Emma came to the conclusion that it was the witch. Letting the new vampire handle that situation, the Gilbert focused on what Alaric was saying.

"Now, this works with compressed air." Alaric explained, holding a very large and bulky gun that loading with wooden stakes. "The tripper is here. I've got 2 of these in a different size." Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy joined the original three at the table. Alaric turned to Damon as he grabbed a device with mini stakes around it. "Now for you, I recommend this. Fits nicely under a jacket sleeve. Here's the trigger when you're ready." Alaric demonstrated what to do and pretended to stab a vampire in the chest. After he finished, he saw the looks he was getting, especially from the vampires. "You wanted me to show you how to kill vampires." he said, taking the device off and setting it back down on the table.

Bonnie set the grimoire down and left the room, probably feeling uneasy about what's going on. Stefan held his hand up, signaling that he got it and went after her.

Emma crossed her arms and glanced at Alaric. "So, Mr. Vampire Slayer, what weapon do you think I should use?" she asked.

Alaric didn't respond to her question, simply looked down and avoided her gaze. Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and looked at the other three for an answer when she saw that they had the same looks. A few seconds went by when it finally clicked in her mind.

"No, I'm going." she said sternly.

"Emma, you can't go. It's too dangerous." Jeremy countered, shaking his head at the same time.

Emma felt like she was going to cry. They always treat her like a little girl every single time. And she was sick of it. For once, she actually wants to feel like she's wanted. Scoffing, she leaned against the table as Alaric began to pack the weapons. "So if I can't go, then what am I supposed to do?"

"You're going to stay with Elena and make sure that she doesn't leave the house tonight." Damon responded.

Anger filled her small body. "Seriously? That's the worst task to do. You have to let me go."

Caroline frowned at the young girl. "We're just trying to make sure you're safe, Emma."

Emma shook her head. "Well, you can't stop me from going. So suck it up." she said, giving them a final look and went to the kitchen so she could calm down. Going up to a cabinet, she grabbed a cup and filled it with water, chugging it down and slamming it on the table. The young girl heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Stefan leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. **(A/N: I'm sorry but just imagine how hot that would be.)** She sighed and played with the cup in her hands. "Let me guess, you're here to convince me to stay behind."

Stefan smiled and pushed himself off the door, walking closer to her. "No, I'm not." Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm going to let you do what you feel right. And if you feel that you want to be at the Masquerade to help then okay. You can come."

Emma set the cup down with a huge smile on her face and hugged Stefan tightly around the waist. She was relieved that someone finally understood how she felt. Stefan hugged back, patting her back.

"Oh, one more thing." he said, pulling back a bit. She looked up to him. "Just don't get into trouble."

She smiled and nodded her head. "Promise." They hugged for a few more seconds then pulled apart and went back to the living room with the others.

Alaric picked up his bag and turned to the group after Emma and Stefan joined the group. "You sure you guys don't want me there tonight?"

"No." Stefan quickly responded. "I need you to stay with Elena." Eyes looked over at Emma as the young girl smiled up at Stefan once he said that. "I don't want her to know about this."

Alaric nodded and crossed his arms. "Okay, I'll make sure she doesn't leave my sight."

Stefan nodded and continued his speech. "All right. If anyone wants to back out, I'll understand." He crossed his arms as he looked at every single person in the room. Everyone nodded.

From his spot behind Stefan, Damon spoke up. "Yeah, cold feet speak now. I don't want this going wrong because someone chickens out. Caroline?" he said, glancing at the blonde vampire.

"I won't." she replied with confidence. "She killed me. Fair's fair. And as long as there are no werewolves running around."

Damon smirked. "Oh, I took care of Mason."

"Well, there's still Tyler." Emma brought up, taking a seat on the couch arm rest.

"He won't turn as long as he doesn't kill anyone." Jeremy said, confirming that Tyler was not a threat.

Stefan glanced at Bonnie, who was standing, looking unsure. "Bonnie? Are you with us?" he asked the witch.

Everyone looked at her, waiting for her response. She nervously fiddled with the moonstone, thinking. She nodded quickly after a few seconds, walking closer to the group.

"But no one gets hurt." she demanded.

"Except Katherine." Damon injected. Emma looked at him as he smirked. "Tonight Katherine gets a stake through her heart." His words struck Emma, making her think.

No night was going to be the night. When Katherine was going to be out of their lives for ever. She'll never cause them suffering or pain anymore. She's going to get what she deserved. . . and Emma couldn't wait.

* * *

Emma stood walked around the outside of the mansion, looking at all the people making their way into the house for the party. She and Jeremy were able to get to the party without getting caught by Elena, she was too busy taking care of Jenna to notice. Jeremy was off with the other's getting prepped for what was going down tonight. She volunteered to keep look out if Katherine showed up. Though, there was nothing she could do really if she did. All she had a was her vervain bracelet to prevent Katherine from compelling her. The young girl sighed as she went to one of the servers to get a sample of a strawberry.

"Why so glum?"

Emma froze, her hand hovering above the tray. It can't be her, she's at home. Emma brought her hand down and slowly turned to come face to face with Katherine.

"Come on, baby sis, you can tell me anything." Katherine said, smirking when she saw Emma's surprised look.

"Leave me alone." the young girl said, checking herself to be braver.

Katherine let out a wicked laugh. "Wow. So tough. Though, I can see right through your act. You're scared." she pointed out. She began to advance toward Emma, making the girl back up and eventually her back hit a wall. Emma noticed that Katherine somehow managed to get the girl into a secluded area. She cursed herself in her mind for not paying attention. "Now that we're alone." Katherine began, blocking Emma's chances to escape by putting her arms against the wall on either side of Emma. "I'd like to ask you something."

"Yeah?" Emma asked, her heart beat accelerating. "What would that be?"

"What are you guys planning?" the vampire asked with a sneer. "I don't like that I'm being lured to the lake where there's no one in sight. Tell me."

It was Emma's turn to smirk. "And why would I do that?" At that, Emma heard a snap and felt a sharp pain in her right arm. She let out a gasp and looked down a her arm to see Katherine's hand on it and her arm, bent a little. It hit her at what happened. The vampire had broke the bone of the girl's arm.

"Because, little Emma, I'm going to kill you if you don't." Katherine threatened.

Biting her lip, Emma shook her head, trying to keep tears from falling down her eyes. "Over my dead body." she spat, taking heavy breaths.

Katherine smirked. "Gladly." Her hand shot up to Emma's throat but just as she was going to snap the young girl's neck, Caroline walked into them.

The blonde's eyes widened at the scene, completely not expecting Katherine to injure Emma.

"Caroline." Katherine greeted, glancing at Caroline. "You're just about to witness me end the life of this useless girl."

Emma and Caroline made eye contact and Emma slightly widened her eyes to signal the vampire to do something.

Caroline got the hint and stepped forward, ready to attack. "Why, what do you want?"

"I want to know what Stefan and Damon are planning." Katherine responded, teeth grinding out of annoyance.

"I know, just let her go." Caroline confessed. Katherine looked at her but made no move to get her hand off of Emma. "They're planning to kill you."

Katherine's grip around Emma's throat lessened, allowing Emma to take bigger breaths. "Duh, of course they are. Where's the moonstone?"

"Bonnie has it." Emma stuttered.

"And where is she, dear little Emma?"

Emma closed her eyes, calming down more. "I don't know." The hand tightened once more, blocking her airways.

"She's upstairs!" Caroline said, panicking.

"Take me to her." Katherine demanded, letting go of Emma's neck but grabbing onto her arm. Caroline nodded and the three of them made their way to the stairs. When they were half way up, Katherine used her other hand to grab onto Caroline's blonde hair. "Which room is it?" the old vampire asked, looking around the upper level.

Caroline looked down sadly and pointed to the room the group picked. "That one."

Katherine began to walk toward the room with the girls in her grip but she let go of them once she entered inside. Katherine didn't see Bonnie inside and turned when she heard laughing behind her. Emma and Caroline had smiles of triumph.

"I did it." Caroline said, happiness filling her at her accomplishment. "I really didn't think that I'd be able to fool you. But I did it."

Emma smiled up at Caroline. "Good job, Care." she congratulated, holding her broken arm.

Katherine vamped to them but she was stopped at the door of the room, unable to get out. "What the-?"

"You're trapped." Emma explained, smirking at Katherine's frustrated face. "Bitch." Katherine's face was in pure shock. Emma's eyes flickered to behind the vampire and Katherine knew exactly who was there.

"Stefan."

Emma and Caroline backed away and went downstairs. The girls laughed and high fived each other, only for Emma to hiss at the movement of her right arm.

"Emma, are you okay? Want me to help?" Caroline asked, examining her arm.

Emma shook her head. "It's not important right now. I have to go update Bonnie and Jer." she said, leaving Caroline and going outside to find her brother and the witch. When she did find them, she was surprised to find Elena with them. "Elena?" she asked.

Elena looked at Emma angrily but quickly changed to worried. "Are you okay, Emma? What happened?" the older Gilbert asked, going up to Emma and looking at the girl's arm.

Emma brushed it off. "I'm fine. But why are you here, Elena?"

"I found out what you guys are doing. Do you not understand how crazy this is? You're gonna get yourselves killed." Elena asked, looking at the three of them crazily.

"We know what we're doing, Elena." Bonnie said, defending their plan.

"And what am I going to do when one of you gets hurt?" Elena asked, motioning to Emma's broken arm at the same time.

"It's not about you anymore." Jeremy said. "She's messed with all of us. She has to be stopped."

Elena looked at them again, trying to process what was going on. Suddenly, Elena bent down, gasping in pain and grabbing her back as a blood stain began to form.

"Elena!" Emma shouted, freaking out on what's happening.

"Oh, god!" Bonnie exclaimed, bending down next to Elena. Elena screamed again when another blood stain formed on her arm. "It's Katherine. Guys, she's linked to Katherine!" Bonnie realized.

Emma was the first to start running back inside the mansion. She pushed and shoved past people, wincing every so often when her arm was moved. Going up the stairs, she skipped every other step to go faster. She made it just in time as Damon was going to stake Katherine in the heart.

"Stop!" she shouted, halting Damon's arm and Jeremy arriving at her side. "Everything you do to Katherine, is happening to Elena." she said, earning shocked looks from Stefan and Damon.

Damon got up and stepped away from Katherine as she got out from Stefan's hold on the floor. "You think you two are the only ones with a witch on your side?" Katherine asked, looking at each one with a look of victory. "Wrong. And something tells me that my witch is better than your witch." She grabbed the stake from Damon's hands and twirled it between her fingertips.

Stefan pointed to the middle Gilbert. "Jeremy, go check on Elena. Make sure she's okay. Go!" he instructed. Jeremy nodded and ran back outside.

Emma stood at the door, feeling tears form in her eyes. Once, just once she wanted to be able to get Katherine without any of her tricks. But of course she was one step ahead of them. As always.

"Yes, let's all make sure poor Elena is okay." Katherine sarcastically said. "Let's add a little pressure." she said, taking the stake and making a cut on the palm of her hand. Stefan smacked it out of her hands, stopping her from causing more cuts.

Emma knew that Elena would be feeling the pain at the moment. "She has the same injuries as Katherine." she whispered, a tear escaping.

Katherine smirked and grabbed the stake again. "Well, this is really going to hurt." she said, aiming the stake over her stomach. Right before she could make contact, she was stopped by the brothers.

"Stop."

Katherine sat down on the sofa behind her and crossed her legs. "Okay, so how about that moonstone?"

Tears continued to fall from Emma's eyes, the feeling of defeat weighing down on her. She fell down to her knees. Damon saw her and made the move to comfort her but bumped into the invisible wall. Frowning, Damon raised his hand and put it on the wall, his hand unable to make it through.

"The three of us, just like old times. The brother who loved me too much. And the one that didn't love me enough." Katherine said, looking at both of the Salvatore brothers.

"The evil slut vampire who love only herself." Damon added.

"And then there's sad little Emma," Katherine looked intensely at the tear stained face on the floor.

Emma sneered and got up, rushing to the vampire, but Damon blocked her path.

"Don't or you'll be trapped too." Damon said.

The little anger that filled Emma disappeared and she began to break again. "Damon. . ." she started, more and more tears coming down.

"I know." he said, looking sadly down at her. "I know. Go downstairs and check on Elena."

Emma slowly nodded and turned making her way down the stairs. Though she couldn't help but glance back at the room to see Katherine smirking at her as she left. The girl retraced her steps and made it back to where she found Jeremy, Bonnie, and Elena. Elena was sitting on a chair, slowly breathing with Jeremy next to her.

"How're you feeling?" Emma asked when she met up with the two.

"A little better." Elena replied, closing her eyes to concentrate on anything beside the pain.

Emma sat in the chair next to Jeremy and sighed. "Where's Bonnie?"

"She's finding the witch that linked them together." Jeremy informed, glancing at his younger sister.

Emma nodded and three sat in silence, waiting. After a while, Elena's wounds began to heal and there was an all clear that Katherine was done for permanently. The news sent relief through the Gilbert siblings, happy that the plan worked. Jeremy and Emma took Bonnie home after, leaving Elena at the Lockwood's and Jeremy then drove Emma to the hospital to get her arm checked. She was going to have to have a cast on for about 2 months, so that the bone could completely heal. Emma was of course a little mad that she was stuck with it but she sucked it up.

Arriving home was not a good. Jenna was angry that Emma ended up getting hurt once again but nonetheless she was happy that Emma was okay. Emma said goodnight and made her way to her room. When she entered it, she jumped, seeing Damon's figure sitting on her bed.

"Damon?" she asked, closing the door behind her. She walked closer to him and saw his down look. "You okay?"

Damon scoffed and shook his head. "Define okay. How's your arm?"

She glanced at her cast and shrugged "I can live with it." Emma then furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she sat down on her bed next to him. "Damon, shouldn't you be happy? We took down Katherine. Well, more like you and Stefan but I helped a little too."

Damon sighed and fell back on her bed. "Yeah, I guess I should. But I don't. You know what I'm saying?" he asked, staring up at her ceiling.

"Nope." Emma chuckled and laid down, looking at the ceiling as well. "I've never had the person I love be the devil so." she said, earning a snort from Damon. "Did you do it?"

Her question didn't need explaining, he knew exactly what she was asking. "No," Before Emma could jump the gun, Damon quickly finished his sentence. "but she's trapped in the tomb. Right where she belongs."

Emma thought about that for a moment. "And you think that will hold her?"

"Well, not when you start thinking like that." Damon said, annoyed that Emma might jinx it.

The brunette shrugged. "Hey, I'm looking at both sides of the possible." She let out a big yawn and felt her eyes begin to droop. "So, want to tell me why you're here and not at your house?"

"I don't want to be near Stefan's brooding cloud." Hearing her confused silence, Damon explained. "Elena didn't get back together with him."

Emma's mouth opened as an 'o' and understood. Elena probably didn't want to get back with him because things needed to settle down a bit. "That's too bad." she said, another yawn escaping her mouth.

"You should get some rest." Damon suggested, glancing at the sleepy girl.

"Well, you should. . . sleep. . . too." Emma said, before letting her eyes close and the dream world take her. What she didn't know was that after she fell asleep, Damon helped out of her shoes and tucked her in her bed, careful not to bother her cast. Damon stared down at her and kissed her forehead goodnight before vanishing through her window into the night.


	17. Rose

Emma was in a deep, peaceful slumber when she was woken up by a knock on her bedroom door. Jumping from the sudden noise, she lifted her head up and glanced at her clock, attempting to read the time through her major bedhead. Moving her brown hair out of the way, the time read 8:10 a.m. Again, there was another knock on her door.

"What?" she called out, reluctantly tossing the covers to the side and sitting up. As the door opened, Emma noticed that she was still in the dress she wore yesterday for the masquerade.

"Hey." Jeremy greeted, entering the young Gilbert's room and gaining her attention. "Have you seen Elena?"

Emma's eyebrows furrowed and gestured around herself. "Jer, as you can see, I just woke up. I haven't seen you until this moment so why would you think I've seen Elena?"

Rolling his eyes, Jeremy crossed his arms. "I understand that, but I didn't see her come home last night and her bed is made."

"Well, maybe she's with Stefan or something at school already." Emma said, letting out a long yawn. Stretching her arms, she got out of her bed and walked over to her dresser. "Let me get dressed and we can go."

"Fine." Jeremy said and left Emma's room.

Thirty minutes later, due to her cast, Emma walked downstairs dressed in jeans and a t-shirt she got while she lived with Uncle John. Going to the kitchen, she quickly made herself a small breakfast and put her lunch together with her one hand as Jeremy waited impatiently by the front door.

"Hurry up!"

Rolling her eyes, Emma grabbed her backpack and met up with Jeremy. "Coming." she said, and the two drove to their school. Once they got there, their first thought was to go to Stefan's locker, which was one of the most likely places he and Elena would hang out together.

"Stefan!" Emma called, smiling at Stefan as he closed his locker.

Stefan smile back and gave the girl a side hug as the three walked through the teenage infested crowd. "Hey, how's the arm?"

"Couldn't be better." Emma said, with a half-hearted smile.

"Look, man, Elena's gotta let me know if I'm supposed to cover for her. I mean, Jenna's cool with the two of you, but you guys are pushing it." Jeremy said right of the bat.

Confused, Stefan looked down at Emma for answers but only saw that she was as well waiting for his response. "What are you talking about?"

Jeremy cheekily smiled. "You and Elena. Look, I'm glad you guys are back together, but if she's gonna sleep over-"

"Wait, wait." Stefan interrupted, causing the trio to stop in the middle of the hall. "We're not back together."

The Gilbert siblings glanced at each other with their eyebrows furrowed.

"So she didn't stay with you last night?" Jeremy asked.

Stefan shook his head and adjusted his backpack on his shoulder. "No, I mean I saw her at the party but that was it. She didn't sleep over."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, thinking back to this morning. "She wasn't at home this morning and Jeremy said her bed wasn't slept in."

"And Mrs. Lockwood said that her car was still in the driveway." Jeremy finished informing the vampire.

Emma looked at Jeremy at his words. "Hey, you never told me that."

Jeremy shrugged. "It didn't seem to matter before."

Looking at the two males, Emma said, "So, if she wasn't at home or with you, Stefan, then where's Elena?"

Silence went over the three as they thought of all the possibilities as to where the doppelganger could be. Though, they all came to an end, not being able to think of anything. That was until Stefan had one name come to mind.

"I need to talk to Damon." he said, walking away from Emma and Jeremy. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

After Stefan's figure was out of sight, Emma turned to her brother. "Do you think she's in trouble?" she asked, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. From her recent experiences, usually someone was missing, they were most likely taken by a bad guy.

"I doubt it." Jeremy said, slinging an arm around Emma's shoulders. "Katherine's in the tomb. How can there be anyone else out for her?"

Emma contemplated his reasoning before nodding. "Yeah, you're right." she said, dismissing her earlier thoughts. As they walked, the bell rang. "Gotta get to class." Waving bye, she made her way to class.

Entering the classroom, she went to her desk and sat down, taking out the her notebook and pencil. Emma glanced around the room, seeing the other students talking amongst themselves. She frowned and looked down at her lap. Oh, how she longed to be able to do that. To have at least one friend to talk to before and after class. Sure she had Elena, Jeremy and the others but it wasn't the same. She didn't have that one person she could connect to.

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Emma turned to the source of the voice to see Jared in the seat next to her's.

"Oh, I, uh, accidentally fell down some stairs. Um, what are you doing here?" she asked, confusion filling her mind.

Jared smiled and took out a piece of paper. "Well, I got my classes switched." He handed to the paper to her.

Taking it from his hands, Emma looked at the paper, seeing all his new classes. It turned out that he had almost the same classes as hers besides two classes.

"No way, we have a lot of classes together." she noted, handing the paper back to him.

"Awesome. Now we can hang out more before our date."

Emma almost choked on her own spit. Date? What date? She had to think for a while before remembering their conversation a couple of days ago.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Jared asked, putting his arm on the desk and resting his head on his hand.

Emma shook her head multiple times. "No, no." But the look on Jared's face showed he was not convinced. "Okay, I did. I'm sorry. There's just been so much happening."

"Hey, that's alright. If it's inconvenient, we can change the day." Jared suggested.

The young Gilbert felt bad. Here she was complaining that there was no one there for her and she completely over saw that Jared was. She's been neglecting him this whole time.

"What? No. Friday. Friday for sure." she countered, giving him a smile. He smiled back and played with his pencil. As he did that, Emma had an idea pop in her head. "Would you- would you like to hang out after class?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Jared responded, facing forward when the teacher came into the room.

Emma faced the teacher as well, butterflies going crazy inside her stomach.

* * *

The bell rang and everyone packed up their stuff to leave.

"Great, another test to study for." Emma complained as she and Jared walked out the classroom door.

Jared sighed, also disappointed about their teacher's news. "You know, I had no idea English had this many tests."

"Exactly! Why can't we just read a book and be done?" Emma said, waving her arms to emphasize her point. They both laughed a little and continued walking, talking about whatever came to mind. That was until Emma saw Stefan and Bonnie in a corner, talking. "Actually, is it okay if we hang out at lunch?"

Jared's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but nonetheless agreed and parted from the girl.

"Hey, guys." Emma greeted, walking up to the two. "Any updates?"

Stefan shook his head. "No, but I'm gonna try talking to Katherine."

Emma's eyes widened in shock. "Katherine?!" she whispered loudly. "That- that bitch?"

"Emma." Bonnie said, giving the Gilbert a look.

"What? She is! Stefan, why would you talk to her? She won't say anything to you," Emma asked, crossing her arms.

Stefan shrugged sharply, frustration running through him. "Because, Emma. I have no idea who has Elena or where she is. This is my best chance to know."

The three stood there, looking at each other with defeated looks.

"What if," Bonnie began, raising interest in the other two. "there was another way to find her?" And she preceded to tell them her plan and what she needed.

Meeting in Alaric's classroom, Jeremy set down a map of Mystic Falls as Emma set down the candles she found in the janitors closet.

"So, how does this work?" Jeremy asked, observing Bonnie light both candles.

"I'll use one of your blood to draw the energy for the tracking spell. You guys are blood-related. It'll make the connection stronger. I just need one of you to do it." Bonnie explained.

Stefan entered the room, closing the door behind him. "Alaric said we need to be gone in 10 minutes. I got his weapons. He stocked me up." he informed, setting a big bag on Alaric's desk.

"Are you ready?" Bonnie asked, looking between the siblings.

"Emma, let me do it." Jeremy said, already lifting his shirt sleeve up. Instead of arguing, Emma agreed, only caring that Elena had to be found.

Bonnie grabbed a small knife and brought it along his hand, blood forming along the cut. Jeremy hissed in pain and clutched his hand into a fist, letting drops of blood fall on the map. Emma noticed Stefan look uncomfortably away at the sight. Bonnie then closed her eyes in concentration and began to chant. The blood on the map mushed together and started to move. Everyone looked up at Bonnie in shock of her magic capability. The blood stopped, around the area of two towns.

"There." Bonnie said, pointing her finger at the spot. "She's there."

"That's 300 hundred miles away." Emma said, saddened to know that Elena wasn't even in Mystic Falls in the first place.

Stefan looked up from the map. "Bonnie, we need a more exact location than that."

"That's as close as I can get." Bonnie said, feeling bad.

"We can map it, get an aerial view. It'll show us what's around there, help us narrow down the area." Jeremy suggested after thinking for a while.

"Perfect." Stefan said, getting up from his position at the table to get that bag of weapons. "Call me with whatever you find."

Jeremy made the move to follow. "I'm coming too."

Lifting the bag on his shoulder, Stefan turned to Jeremy with a disapproved look. "No, Jeremy, you're not."

As the two fought, Emma saw a new blood drop on the map and looked to see Bonnie bleeding from her nose.

"Bonnie." she whispered, earning Bonnie's attention as the witch wiped the blood away. Bonnie lifted a shaky finger to her lips, signaling to not say anything about it.

"But you can't do this alone." Jeremy argued, standing his ground.

At that, Damon opened the classroom door. "He's not. Let's go."

"You're coming with me?" Stefan asked, a little surprised that his older brother would actually want to help.

Damon had a face of determination. "It's Elena."

The brother's made the move to leave, but were stopped when Emma spoke.

"Please, bring her home." she said, clutching her fists.

They looked over and nodded, making a silent promise they won't break.

* * *

"Bye! Don't have too much fun!" Emma called out as Alaric and Jenna got into the car to leave. Bonnie stood behind her and once the car was gone, Emma closed the door and turned to the older girl. "So, before making our way upstairs, can we talk about what happened earlier. At school?"

Bonnie shrugged and picked up her bag. "There's nothing to talk about, Emma. I did the spell and that was it."

"But-"

"That was it." Bonnie snapped, and left the girl downstairs.

Ever since Founder's Day, their relationship was never the same. It was either Bonnie didn't trust the Salvatores like Emma did or that Emma didn't trust Bonnie. Before, they would talk about anything but now, it was awkward small talk or silence.

Emma trudged up the stairs to Jeremy's room after thinking for some time. Though, as her foot touched the first step, she felt light headed. She swayed from side to side while clutching her head from a pang of pain. Squeezing her eyes shut, an image flashed in her mind. It was fast but Emma was able to make out a man, wearing a suit. Another image, of a white house surrounded by trees. And with that, the pain was gone, the dizziness was gone. It was as if nothing had happened.

It certainly left the girl confused. "What the hell was that?" she whispered to herself.

She shrugged off the strange event, leaving the problem for later. She continued her way up to Jeremy's room slower, uncertain if something else might happen. When Emma arrived, she saw Bonnie searching frantically through the grimoire.

"What's going on?" she asked, taking a seat next to Jeremy on his bed.

"There's something," Bonnie began, opening a notebook. "I want to try. Someone go get Elena's hairbrush and candle." she instructed, opening a sharpie and writing something on the notebook paper.

Jeremy and Emma shared a look between each other and they both went off getting the two things that Bonnie needed; Jeremy had gotten the candle while Emma got the hairbrush.

As the two set down the items on the bed, Jeremy gave Bonnie a questioning look, lighting the candle. "What are these for?"

Bonnie crumbled the piece of paper she was writing on in her hands. "I know it's crazy, I might be able to get her a message."

The siblings looked at Bonnie with fascination as she held the ball of paper in her palm over the lit candle. The Bennett witch mumbled a spell, her eyes closed in concentration. The paper slowly rose from her hand and lit on fire. But as it began to disappear into thin air, blood slowly dripped from Bonnie's nose, raising alarm to Emma and Jeremy.

"Bonnie, stop." Jeremy said, trying to shake Bonnie out of her trance. She squeezed her eyes tighter and the ball of paper vanished.

Bonnie opened her eyes, a smile on her face as fragments of the paper floated down on Jeremy's bed.

"Bonnie? Are you okay?" Emma asked, laying a hand on Bonnie's arm. The witch made no movement, only staring at the wall. That was until Bonnie fell backwards on Jeremy's bed, unconscious.

"Bonnie!" Both siblings yelled, peering down at her exhausted form.

* * *

"No, she's fine." Emma said into the receiver, standing in the kitchen as Jeremy got Bonnie a glass of water. The Bennett witch woke up a a few minutes after she passed out, sending relief through the Gilberts.

 _"She better. That Bennett is our only witch and those are very hard to come by these days."_ Damon responded through the receiver.

Emma blew air out, sending strands of hair out of her face. "Well, what do you expect? Magic is hard and it probably wears her down."

" _Like I said before, she's a Bennett, a decedent of Emily Bennett. She should already be this powerful witch_."

"Damon, Bonnie found out not that long ago that she was a witch. Give her time." Emma countered, instinctively defending the witch.

She heard a sigh on the other line. " _I'll try. Listen, we're almost there._ "

Emma tensed at his words, feeling anxiety fill her. "Good, I hope it doesn't take you too long to find her."

" _We won't. Jeremy told us about this house that was in the area where the spell said._ "

The girl instantly thought of the house she saw earlier in her. . . head. "A-a house?" she asked, picking at the cast with her fingers.

" _Yeah, a white house. It's going to be really easy finding it considering it's in the middle of nowhere._ "

Emma nodded as she played with her nails, processing the information she was given. There are a lot of houses these days. It just happens to be a coincidence that Elena was being held in a white house. Right?

" _Little Gilbert, you okay?_ "

"Oh, yeah. Just bring her back, okay?" Emma said, after snapping out of her lost state.

" _Sure thing. Bye._ "

"Bye." She hung up her phone and quickly made her way back upstairs. When she entered Jeremy's bedroom, she saw Bonnie sitting up and Jeremy next to her. "Hey, Bon. How are you doing?"

Bonnie smiled at the girl. "Fine, thanks." Emma smiled back, taking a seat on the corner of Jeremy's bed. A short silence blanketed over the trio before Bonnie broke it again. "Emma, listen. I'm sorry. For everything. Founder's Day, the carnival, earlier today." she said, with tears forming on the brims of her eyes.

Leaning forward, Emma reached out and rested a comforting hand on Bonnie's lap. "It's okay, Bon. It's okay." she said, happy that she and Bonnie's friendship wasn't over. Emma looked over at Jeremy and remembered what Damon said about the house. "Jer, Damon said that he and Stefan are almost there and he said something about a house?"

Jeremy nodded and took out his phone. "Yeah, I found it around the spot on the map. Here." he said, handing the device to her.

Emma took it out of his hands and looked at the house. It was exactly how it looked in her whatever it was called. There was something definitely wrong.

"Thanks." she said, handing it back and leaving the room to her own.

Taking her laptop, she sat on her bed and opened a window on the laptop. Going on Google, she tried to think of something to search. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a while, having some trouble.

 _When images appear in your mind._

Emma shook her head and deleted the sentence.

 _Pictures in your head._

"No." Emma whispered, deleting that sentence as well. There was no normal way to put what happened into words. As she thought, there was one word that came to mind.

 _Visions_

The next sites Emma visited had a bunch of jumbled information.

 _dream like state_

 _trance_

 _outlooks_

 _spiritual_

 _**supernatural**_

Emma paused at that word. Supernatural. Was there a chance she could have some sort of mystical power? She couldn't stop looking at the word. It's impossible. No. She was not supernatural or spiritual. That's crazy. She was just regular, normal Emma Gilbert. . . who was related to a doppelganger of an evil vampire. She needed more information. For the next hour minutes, Emma looked at other sites, finding out how visions came and how to interpret them. There was one particular website that went through step by step.

The sound of the front door closing interrupted her research. Getting up from her bed, Emma exited her room and entered the hall only to see Elena climbing the stairs.

"Elena!" Emma shouted, running forward and into Elena's arms after she made it to the second floor. "Oh, my gosh, Elena, are you okay?" she asked, pulling away and looking up at Elena.

The older Gilbert smiled and nodded. "I'm fine."

From behind them, Jeremy and Bonnie entered, both with surprised and happy expressions. Emma stepped away and Bonnie hugged Elena.

"I got your message." Elena whispered.

Bonnie pulled away and it was Jeremy's turn for a hug. Emma smiled as Jeremy hugged their older sister tightly, her own tears starting to form.

"So," Jeremy began, pulling away. "What the hell happened?" he said with a smile.

Elena let out a chuckle and went on to explain how she was captured. She mentioned that the two vampires that took her, Rose and Trevor, tried to use her as payment to another vampire.

"Wow, that's intense." Emma commented, crossing her arms. "What was the other vampire's name?"

"Elijah. He was fancy. Wore a suit."

Emma's posture straightened at the information. "Was it grey?"

Elena's eyebrows furrowed. "I guess. What does the color of his suit have to do with anything?"

"Well, I just wanted to know." Emma said, failing at the attempt to come up with an excuse. "Uh, I need to do something." she said, leaving the group and closing the door to her room.

She opened her laptop and went back to that one particular website.

Eager to try it out, Emma grabbed two candles and placed them on the floor. Also grabbing a lighter, she sat down on the ground and lit the candles. Following the instructions, she crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and slowly breathed through her nose. She focused on the two images that appeared in her mind earlier that day. She sat there for 10 minutes with nothing happening.

Emma huffed air out and checked the website again from the floor. "Am I doing this right?" she asked herself, scrolling down the page. After rechecking the instructions, she made one last attempt. "Okay, Emma, you got this."

She positioned herself on the floor again and breathed. No matter what, she focused on the two images with her eyes closed and and legs folded. It was when she felt lightheaded again, that Emma saw something.

Pinned to a door with a large piece of wood pierced in their chest, was the vampire that wanted Elena, Elijah. His face was gray with black veins all over his face. Just then, he started to move. His eyes opened and his head lifted up. The black veins disappeared and his face returned to it's normal color. Elijah lifted a hand up and griped the piece of wood. He pulled it out of his chest and tossed it to the side.

Emma opened her eyes with a gasp. She smiled, feeling excitement that she actually accomplished getting it to work.

"I did it." she whispered, clutching her fists. But as soon as the happiness arrived, it went away. "Oh, my god." she said, eyes wide. "He's alive.


	18. Katerina

It was crazy. There was no possible way that could have happed. After doing her little experiment, Emma had fallen into denial. The vision she saw probably didn't even happen. So, instead of going to Elena and Jeremy or anyone for that matter and telling them the news, she kept it to herself. She had literally just discovered her so called "ability" not even 24 hours ago and couldn't really understand it at all. How can she tell people if she wasn't 100% sure that what she saw really did happen. Hell, it could have been her imagination.

Emma stood in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection while picking at the stuffing in her cast. In doing so, it caused an itch that just had to be deep in the cast. Grabbing a random pencil, she was able to scratch the spot. After the itch was gone, Emma todded the pencil aside and looked back at the mirror, eyeing the candles she left on the floor from last night, still formed in a circle. She walked over to them and sat in the center. If she tried tapping into her so called powers again, maybe Elijah would be dead like he's suppoed to be and Emma wouldn't have anything to tell anyone. Before she could attempy to do anything, there was a loud knock on her door, causing her to jump from the sudden noise.

"Emma, come on, we need to get to school." Jeremy's voice said through the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll, um, be there in a minute." she responded, crossing her legs and staightened her posture.

Upon hearing Jeremy's departing foot steps, Emma closed her eyes and repeated the steps she did last night. She sat there, breathing in and out, trying to relax the best she could. She grasped at the picture of Elijah opening his eyes and coming back to life in her mind. Though, nothing happened and disappoinment flooded the girl. How? Why wasn't it working like before? Heaving a deep sigh, she attempted to try again, but nonetheless, it didn't work. Angrily, Emma shut her eyes once more, only to be interrupted by her name being called downstairs. Getting up from the floor with a huff of annoyance and sliding her backpack on her shoulder, she abandoned the candles and trudged down the stairs.

"I'm ready, Jeremy." she announced, entering the kitchen on to see Jenna drinking coffee from a mug Emma had made when she was younger. Her eyebrows came together in confusion as she glanced around, not seeing her brother or sister. She let out a groan. "Let me guess, they left without me."

Jenna chuckled, setting the mug on the granite counter. "Yup. Elena already left, probably had to see Stefan or something and Jeremy got tired of waiting for you and got a ride from Bonnie."

Emma leaned against the island, taking Jenna's mug and taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee. "Of course they did. Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey," Jenna snapped playfully. "hands off my juju." The two laughed as Emma reluctantly handed the mug back. "How's the arm?"

Wigginly the casted arm in the air, the brunette shrugged. "Not bad. It makes it difficult for me to get ready sometimes."

"So that's what took you so long?"

Emma crossed her arms, the memory of her failure replaying in her mind. "Sure, I guess you can say that." She sadly looked down at the wood floor.

Jenna frowned at her words and reached over to give Emma's hand a squeeze. "Honey-" The aunt's eyes accidentally fell to the watch on her wrist, seeing the time. "Oh my god, I'm late!"

Emma stood straighter when she saw her aunt rush out the door with her bag and keys.

"Oh, crap." Jenna exclaimed, turning around to walk backwards to her car. "Um, there's frozen lasagna in the freezer if I get back late and do your homework!" The older woman got insider her vehicle and quickly backed out of the driveway.

Realization hit the young girl's mind as Jenna began to drive away. "Wait! Who's gonna take me. . . to school?" She sighed when the car disappeared, leaving Emma stranded at her very own home.

There were two options presented before the Gilbert. The first: screw it, stay home and relax for once, and the second: realize that school is more important and Jenna would definitely kill her if she skipped. She would rather avoid the consequence of the first one. After she quickly went inside to get her stuff, Emma stood on the sidewalk facing down the street, pulled her light brown hair into a tight ponytail, did a half lunge and broke out in a sprint. It wasn't smart to start off that way, considering it already drained a lot of her energy, but what else was she supposed to do, skip?

The ponytail swayed from side to side, occasionally slapping the girl in the face as she ran, which was making her frustrated by the second. _Almost there_ , she thought, five blocks away from the school. When she made it to the front lawn, people gave the girl weird look upon seeing her crazy haired, out of breath form. She didn't blame them, if it was her that saw some kid in the state she was in, she would feel the exact same way. Now, Emma would have stopped right then and there considering she had made it to her destination, but upon spotting her brother with Bonnie and a stranger, what was the point of stopping if she was already moving? So, gathering the last buit of her strength, she ran the short distance to the small group. The three gave the girl strange looks, confused on her sudden arrival covered in sweat.

"And this is my little sister, Emma." Jeremy said, introducing his sister to the stranger. The guy gave an awkward smile toward Emma and turned his attention back to Bonnie.

Emma gasped for breath and began to weakly punch Jeremy's arm. With an angry expression, she tried to speak but from all the running she did, words were very difficult for her to form. Jeremy's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Em, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Y-ou. . . lef-t. . ." The struggle to breath was lessening as she stood there, and the power of her punches grew as well. "me- at home." Emma finished, ceasing her punches and giving her brother the best glare she could do.

Jeremy rubbed the spot where Emma punched him as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, cause you took too long."

Emma scoffed, lifting her arm and punching him again. "Because of you, I had to run here!"

"Ow, hey, knock it off." Jeremy said, grabbing Emma's arm before she could punch him again. "Next time, get ready faster."

The young girl stuck her tongue out, grumpily adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

Jeremy turned back to the stranger and patted his arm while pointing in the direction of the school. "Luka, how about I show you to your class?" he asked.

Luka, the stranger, nodded his head and turned to the two girls. "It was nice to meet you, Bonnie and Emma." he said, smiling towards the witch as he followed Jeremy to the school's building.

"See ya." Emma said, raising an eyebrow at Luka's gesture and looked at Bonnie to see her blushing face. "You okay there, Bon?"

Bonnie let out a little giggle, composing herself. "Ye-eah. I'm fine."

"Really?" the young Gilbert asked, a smirk appearing. "Because, it looks like you have a little crush on a certain new student."

"Wha-what?" Bonnie said, giving Emma a flustered glance.

Emma smirked, the witch just couldn't hide her true feelings from someone who's known the woman all her life. "Bonnie, come on, I can read you like an open book."

The dark skinned girl smiled at Emma. "Okay, maybe I do have small feelings for Luka. But, I don't know, with the supernatural stuff that goes on and my luck with relationships, it could end in disaster."

"Don't let that stop you." Emma advised, setting a reassuring hand on Bonnie's shoulder. Taking a moment to look back at the interaction the two were having, the girl smiled. She realized that for the first time since Founder's Day/her birthday, this was the most normal conversation they've had.

"Thanks." Bonnie said. "Listen, I should probably head to class. See you later." And with that, she was on her way.

Emma waved after Bonnie, watching her leave.

"Hey, Emma."

Emma turned to the sound to see Jared walking up to her.

"Jared." she greeted. Only then did she remembered she looked like a crazy person, which made her take down her ponytail and fix her wild hair. "How's it going?"

Jared grinned. "Great. Was everything okay yesterday? You kind of disappeared."

Emma froze, guilt consuming her small body. "Oh, my god, Jared, I am so so sorry. I completely blew you off."

"No, seriously, it's fin-"

A gasp escaped the little girl's mouth. "Did you end up eating lunch by yourself?"

"Emma, calm do-"

"You did, didn't you? Or did you eat with your other friends?"

"Relax, plea-"

"God, I'm an awful person. I left you when I clearly promis-" Sadly, Emma wasn't able to finish her sentence. Because Jared kissed her. With his lips. On hers. Her eyes widened in shock, and this time she was frozen.

Jared pulled back and grinned when he saw Emma's now flush red face. "You worry too much, Emma."

Emma opened her mouth to respond but it was difficult to say anything, like when she first got to the school. The bell rang, signalling the start of the first class of the day.

"See you in 3rd." Jared said, pecking Emma's cheek before making his way to class.

What just happened? That was the first time something like that happened to her. Ever. In her life. A boy that she very much liked just kissed her on the lips. In front of the whole school . . . that actually knows who she is and word might get around to her protective brother and sister. Oh dear.

* * *

For most of the day, Emma could only think about that kiss. Well, aside from the whole Elijah dilio but still, this was new. Did that mean Jared liked her? That he wanted to be her boyfriend? She stood there like an idiot when it happened. Then again, how was she supposed to react? When 3rd period came, she did her best to ignore the boy, so that she couldn't embarrass herself like before. Though, she couldn't help but steal a couple of secret glances at him, which Jared knew about. Once the bell rang at the end of class, Emma swiftly packed her stuff and bolted out the door, leaving Jared behind.

Going to the front lawn, since it was break, she managed to find Caroline and Stefan. She let out a sigh of relief and began to make her way towards them.

"Hey, guys." she greeted, a few feet away from them when the call of her name stopped her. Looking behind her, she saw Jared.

Oh, no, she thought, quickly meeting up with Jared and guiding him away from the two vampires.

"Jared, is there something you want?" Emma asked, glancing back at Caroline and Stefan to see their questioning looks.

Jared nodded. "Yeah, are you okay? You were ignoring me in class."

"Wha-whaaat?" she said, giving the boy a tight smile. "Everything's fine. Everything's, uh," she took the time to scratch the back of her head nervously.

"Are you acting like this because of the-"

"Because of the nothing!" Emma interrupted, aware of the vampires behind them were listening to their conversation. "No, nothing is wrong, trust me." she assured.

Jared didn't seem convinced but let go her weird behavior. "Okay, then I'll see you later." And he was gone.

Emma waved after him and turned to see Caroline and Stefan staring at her with smirks.

"What was that all about, Emma?" Caroline asked, nudging the girl.

Crossing her arms, Emma lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Care."

"Omg, don't tell me, is that your boyfriend?!" Caroline inquired, a little too loudly to Emma's comfort.

"Please, I- he- we are't together. Okay? Just friends."

Of course, Caroline didn't believe the young Gilbert and squealed happily. "This is so exciting! You have your very first boyfriend! I need to meet him. Him being cute is crossed off the list bu-"

Stefan held up a hand, interrupting Caroline mid-sentence. "As much as I would like to talk about this, which will be later, I think you have something to explain, Caroline."

Emma glanced at Caroline to see her face drained in color. "What did I miss?"

* * *

"Seriously, Care?" Emma said, after hearing that Caroline had told Tyler she was a vampire. Leaving the school, the trio made their way to The Grill, where Caroline ordered a large salad to keep her "killing people" urges down. "Why would you do that?"

"Hey," Caroline began, chewing a mouthful of her food. "you weren't there, okay? But don't worry, I made sure to keep the questions to the bare minimum." She paused to see Emma's and Stefan's soft disapproving expressions. "Are you guys mad?"

"Yes, Caroline, as a matter of fact I am a little mad." Stefan answered, rubbing his face in frustration. "I mean, you put yourself at risk. If Damon finds out-"

"But you're not gonna tell him, are you?" Caroline begged, giving the two pleading eyes.

Emma sighed. "If he finds out, he would kill you."

Caroline smiled, taking another bite of her food. "You two, looking out for me."

"I still think you should have been more careful. Who knows what Tyler's gonna do." Emma injected, sipping the diet soda she ordered.

"I know, I'm sorry." Caroline apologized. "So, Stefan why are you such a good friend to me?"

Stefan shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you remind me of someone, my best friend Lexi."

Emma remembered her. Though she didn't get a chance to meet her, Elena had filled her in about the vampire. And not to much of her surprise, it turned out Damon had killed the only close friend Stefan ever had. Sometimes, Emma wondered why she even was around the guy after all the crap he's done.

"You have a friend?" Caroline asked, shock shown on her face.

The young girl laughed at her comment, looking at Stefan smile.

"Wow, you say that with a discouraging amount of surprise, Caroline."

"Sorry. Tell me about her."

Emma saw Stefan's amused face disappear and be replace with sadness. "I will, some other time. I have to go." he said, getting up.

"Hey, could you drop me off?" Emma asked Stefan, reaching down to grab her backpack.

"Sure."

Caroline seemed to have panicked and raised her hand. "Wait." she said, causing Stefan to sit back down at the table and Emma to drop her bag. "What are we going to do about Tyler? I don't want Damon to kill him, cause there's a full moon coming up, and Tyler's totally freaking out about it."

Stefan and Emma shared a look, both could sense that something fishy was going on. Emma decided not bring anything up and stayed at the table. It was quite obvious that something was wrong, considering that Caroline kept ordering food and how she freaked out when Emma got up, only to find out that she just needed to use the restroom. As Caroline babbled on and on about ways they could keep Tyler safe from Damon, Emma couldn't help herself and ordered some food as well. She was half way through eating her burger when announced that the two of them were leaving for sure.

"Wait!"

"No, no, no. Caroline, you have two seconds to come clean." Stefan said in a serious tone.

Acting confused, Caroline responded with, "What do you mean?"

"I'd believe the whole innocent act a little bit better if I didn't know how good you were at providing a distraction on demand."

Caroline's face turned grim, knowing that she was caught. She looked over to Emma and saw her act didn't convince her as well.

"Where's Elena?" Stefan asked.

"I can't say."

Stefan rose an eyebrow, taken back a bit. "You can't tell me? Are you kidding me?"

"Care, if Elena's in some kind of trouble, you have to tell us." Emma added, her food left forgotten.

"She was kidnapped, she could have been killed, and you're seriously not gonna tell me where she is?" Stefan said, his jaw going slack at the ridiculousness that was happening.

Caroline shook her head. "She's not in danger, guys. I would not have let her put herself in danger."

"Put herself in danger where?" the older vampire asked, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Well, she can't be Damon." Emma said. "Right?" she asked.

"Ew. No." Caroline clarified with her disgusted look.

Stefan groaned in frustration. "If you're my friend, like you've been pretending to be all day, then tell me where she is."

"I am your friend, Stefan but I'm also Elena's and I can't tell you." Caroline responded sadly.

Stefan shook his head and stormed out of the restaurant. Emma got up, reaching in her bag and placed a ten dollar bill on the table before following after the vampire.

"Stefan!" she called out, bursting through the door. She searched her surroundings, looking for him. Luckily, she was able to spot him crossing the park. Emma ran across the street, earning some honks from cars that had to stop to let her by. "Stefan, wait up!" she called.

Stefan came to a halt and waited till the young girl made it to him before continuing walking.

"You can't be so hard on Caroline." Emma began, adjusting her backpack and matching Stefan's fast pace. "I'm sure there's a good reason as to why Elena told Caroline not to say anything. Probably she knew you would freak out."

Stefan came to a stop again and turned to Emma. "I get that, but I'm her boyfri-, I mean, I care about her. I want to make sure she's okay and not in any danger."

Emma let out a sad sigh and put her hand on Stefan's arm in comfort. "I understand. A-and I know Caroline, she wouldn't put Elena in danger, like she said before. She's fine, I can feel it."

"Okay, okay. Thanks." he said, smiling softly.

Emma grinned, feeling proud she was able to cheer up the down vampire. "No problem. We just need to keep a clear mind and we'll find her some way. We know one thing for sure, she's not with Damon."

And thank god for that. If she was with that immature, reckless vampire, he would have let her get kidnapped again or something. Who knows what type of trouble he would have gotten her in. But they got confirmation from a trusty source that she's out of his hands. Now, if she was with Katherine then-

"Oh, my god." Emma blurted, eyes wide with shock in figuring it out.

"What?" Stefan asked, feeling uneasy seeing the girl's doleful face.

"She's with Katherine." she whispered, looking Stefan in the eyes. Stefan came to realization that the girl was right. If the two knew the older Gilbert, she probably wanted to take advantage of the weak vampire and get information she wanted. "Go, hurry." Emma said, and Stefan was gone in the blink of an eye.

Emma looked around her, glad that no one saw Stefan disappear so fast. What she needed to do was get home quickly, so when Elena finally did get home, she give her a piece of her mind. How could she do that? Katherine is an evil, manipulating, lying vampire. There's no absolute way any of them could trust her. Remembering that Caroline was still at the Grill, she turned and began to make her way to the restaurant when a massive headache made her fall to her hands and knees in pain.

She let out a groan, wrapping her hands around her head as if it could ease the pain. This earned strange looks from bystanders. Emma tried to get up but it felt like millions of needles were poking at her brain. She managed to look up and let out a gasp.

Standing on the other side of the street was Elijah in his fancy, gray suit. In his hand was a coin, that he was tossing carelessly in the air. Wide eyed and frightened, Emma could only stare, paralyzed in her spot on the ground. Elijah tossed the coin once more before chucking it straight at the young girl with all his might. She let out a shriek and covered herself with her arms for protection. A loud crashing noise filled her ears as she waited for the impact.

Immediately, the pulsing pain in her head vanished and Emma didn't feel the strike of the coin. Letting out a shaky breath, Emma lowered her arms and glanced at the direction where Elijah was. Crazy thing was, he wasn't there anymore. Slowly getting up, the Gilbert dusted herself and made her way to the Grill, looking around every so often.

Thankfully, Caroline hadn't left the table and was still eating the dessert she ordered. Emma went straight to her and began to drag her by the arm to the back of the restaurant.

"What? Emma, what are you doing?" Caroline questioned as she reluctantly followed the girl. When they stopped inside the bathroom, Emma checked underneath the stalls and locked the bathroom door. "Emma. What's wrong?" Caroline asked, face full of confusion.

"Okay, okay, okay." Emma said. "Um, you know how Elena was kidnapped? A-and there was that creepy guy that appeared at the end and tried to take her away? And how Stefan and Damon killed him?" Caroline gave a nod but still didn't see where the girl was going. "Okay, well, uhhh, I think he's. . . you know. . . still alive." she said.

Caroline scrunched up her face in confusion. "What? That's impossible, okay? I mean, you said it. Stefan and Damon killed him. There's no way a vampire can come back after getting stabbed in the chest with a stake."

Emma closed her eyes and let out a groan in frustration. "I know!" she blurted. She sighed again. "Sorry, it's just, I have this. . sort of feeling, per say, that he's alive."

"A feeling?"

"Y-yeah. I may have seen him come back to life after Elena was rescued." Emma admitted.

Caroline was confused once again. "You saw him come back to life."

"Yes! I know, it's weird but before that, I saw t-the house that Elena was trapped in and I saw Elijah as well before finding out about him." she explained. "And just before I came inside to get you, I think I saw him again, but maybe that was supposed to happen somewhere else."

A few seconds went by before Caroline spoke. "So you're saying you had a premonition."

Emma sucked in a breath and lightly shrugged. "More like vision, but I guess premonition works, too."

"If that's the case then let's go tell the others." Caroline said, reaching towards the door to unlock it, but Emma slapped the blondes hand away. "Ow, Emma."

"We can't tell them."

"And why not?" Caroline asked, putting her hands on her hips.

The young girl crossed her arms and leaned against the bathroom wall. "Because, I said I think he's alive. There's no solid evidence that he is. They'll think I'm crazy or something."

"So, what do we do then?"

Emma shrugged. "We wait till there's something we can use."

"Are you sure we can't just tell Stefan or Damon? It will help us out a lot." Caroline asked again.

"Ahhh, now you're making me take back what I said before. We can't tell Stefan, he has Elena to deal with." Upon seeing Caroline's surprised face, Emma gave the vampire a half smile. "Come on, I'm a Gilbert, I think like Elena. But, Damon." Her face scrunched up in debate. "A possibility, but not right now."

"Alright, for the time being, I'll try to not say anything." Caroline said in agreement and the two exited the bathroom. "Want me to take you home?"

This time, Emma shook her head no. "I think I'm going to walk." She waved goodbye to the vampire and began to make her way home. To her surprise, it had gotten dark fast outside. Nonetheless, Emma walked down the sidewalk.

She was half way home when she heard footsteps behind her. Her heart rate quickened as she swirled around and saw no one. Turning back, she let out a scream when she saw everyone's least favorite vampire in front of her.

"God, Damon. Was scaring me necessary?" Emma asked, crossing her arms as she glared up at him.

Damon's smug smile wasn't helping his case. "Yes, yes it was. You're lucky that I'm me and not some evil, crazy, blood sucking vampire."

"Mhm, really? Thank god for that." she said sarcastically. She pushed past him and continued her way home.

"What's up with you?" Damon asked, catching up with the girl. "You're a little more mean than usual."

Emma shook her head. "Nothing's wrong."

The older vampire narrowed his eyes at her. "You're hiding something."

She bit her lip nervously and turned her head away from him. "I'm not. Leave it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Damon said, grabbing onto her arm to make her stop walking. "Don't talk to me like that." He rose an eyebrow when she still didn't say what was bothering her. "Come on, pipsqueak. Tell me."

Emma thought to herself. Not telling him would just make the burden of this knowledge heavier on her shoulders. If she told him, he'd probably not even believe her since he himself ran the piece of wood through Elijah's chest.

"Listen, I would but I just can't. I need something before I can tell you." she explained, trying her best not to just blurt it out.

"Huh," Damon huffed, "Fine, don't trust me." he said, walking ahead, leaving Emma alone.

"No, Damon, it's not that I don't trust you-"

"Oooh, yeah it is. See, if you did, you would have told me by now."

Emma let out a loud groan. "I think Elijah's alive!" she shouted, causing Damon to halt.

" _What_?!"


	19. The Sacrifice

"Let me get this straight. You saw Elijah come back to life and rip out the piece of wood from his chest?" Damon asked, arms on his hips as he paced around Emma's room. Hearing Emma's theory an hour earlier really shook **(A/N: :) )** the man up, considering he's the one who offed the other vampire with his own hands.

Emma nodded, bringing her legs together while sitting on her bed. "Yes."

"And you're 100% sure that he's alive." Damon stated, facing the girl.

"Whoa, hey," she said, pointing a finger at the vampire. "I never said that. I said I think he's alive."

Damon stared at the girl with furrowed eyebrows. "Okay, explain it to me all over again."

Emma let out an annoyed groan and fell backwards on her bed. "I told you like 3 times already."

"Well, I'm having trouble believing you had a 'vision' about Elijah coming back to life."

"So am I!" she admitted, throwing her arms up. She sighed. "Listen, all I know is something weird is happening to me and I have no idea what. All I saw Elijah, the house, him coming back to life, and the one with the coin."

"What coin?" Damon asked, sitting on the corner of her bed.

Emma sat up to her previous position. "Uhh, I was at the park outside The Grill when I was with Stefan and Caroline. Elijah was across the street, tossing up a coin and then he threw it at me and I heard glass breaking." she explained.

Damon was silent as he thought for a moment, letting out a 'huh'.

"What?" Emma curiously asked. "Do- do you know something?"

"Well, I was with Rose today." Upon seeing the girl's confused expression, he waved his hand at her. "She's new. Anyways, we went to this cafe to meet someone who had connections to Elijah's crowd when the windows protecting the two from the sun shattered. My best bet is that it could have been Elijah, you know, if what you say is true."

The young Gilbert looked at Damon with slightly wide eyes. "So, you believe me?"

Damon shrugged. "Not entirely, we need to figure how he's still alive and how you're having visions."

"Your guess is as good as mine cause I am freaking out." she admitted, waving her arms in the air drastically. "Damon," she began with a sad sigh. "what's wrong with me?"

"No idea, pipsqueak. But I bet Isobel's research might have something." he said, patting the bed and getting up.

"Now, I have some unfinished business to do, but I'll keep you posted." He had opened his mouth to add one last input when Emma's bedroom door opened, revealing Elena.

"Emma? What are you still doing up?"

As Emma recovered from the sudden appearance of her sister, she noticed that Damon had vanished, leaving through her open window.

"Uh, just quickly doing some homework I forgot to do. What about you?"

Elena let out a chuckle. "Oh, you don't want to know. Trust me. Goodnight." she said with a smile, closing the door behind her.

"Night." Emma muttered. She didn't have the energy to change, so she slowly got under the covers. Getting comfortable, she stared blankly at the ceiling.

So much for keeping the whole vision thing a secret. Maybe it was a good thing that she told Damon, considering he's a vampire and has met some crazy creatures or things during his life. But none of this made any sense. Why would she have any sort of powers? Sure, Elena is a doppelganger and they're technically cousins, but Elena gets the supernatural stuff from Isobel, not John. Emma was just a plain old Gilbert.

Emma turned and laid on her side, letting out a deep sigh.

What if it was an evil witch playing tricks on her? They could be using her to get to Elena since she's so important and whatnot. Who knows, maybe this is all a dream. Maybe she's playing tricks on herself. She did want to feel like part of the group, to be able to help and not be useless.

That night, Emma fell asleep with sorrow in her heart.

* * *

 _Elena and a woman sat together on a couch. "How would you like to be able to walk during the daylight?"_

 _"I've been a slave to the shadows for 500 years. What do you think?"  
_ _-  
_ _A cave. Someone angry leaning against a wall. "If you want it, you're going to have to come here and get it."_

 _Jeremy threw dust at. . . Elena? "I kinda figured you'd say that."  
_ _-  
Blood dripped from the corners of Katherine's mouth, "So, I'm going to be in the back playing with my new little toy and you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open."  
_ _-  
_ _Elijah ripped the hearts out of two guys._

 _Damon. "Well, I'll be damned. She was right. But how? I killed you. You were dead."_

 _"For centuries now."  
_ _-  
"Stefan!"_

 _"GO!"_

Emma shot up on her bed with a gasp. A light coat of sweat was plastered on her forehead. She took deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Taking in her surroundings, she noticed she was still in the comfort of her room.

Was that another vision? Or visions?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the familiar voices of Stefan and Damon downstairs through her door. Getting up, she quickly changed out of her old clothes and into fresh ones and went down the stairs.

As she turned at the base of the stairs to head towards the kitchen, Elena had brushed past her with her belongings and out the door. Emma looked in confusion in the direction where her sister left as she entered the kitchen.

"What's wrong with Elena?" she asked, seeing Stefan and Damon share the same expression as her.

"She didn't like that we talked to Katherine without her permission." Damon informed, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed.

"You spoke to Katherine?!" Emma asked, eyes wide in shock.

Damon rolled his eyes. "God, you guys really are sisters."

Emma scoffed, glaring at the man. "We both are in our right minds. Why would you go talk to her?"

"We thought she would give us the moonstone." Stefan said, elbows resting on the island's top.

"Yeah, like she was going to find it in the kindness of her heart to give us what we desperately need right after we left her to rot in a tomb forever." Emma responded sarcastically.

"Maybe if you had let Stefan finish, you would have heard that we have a plan to get it back from her unwilling hands." Damon said.

"Okay, what's the plan?"

Stefan shifted his position to where his hands gripped the edge of the counter. "We find a way to bring down the seal for a little so we can go in and get the moonstone."

Emma thought over the plan. Something about it raised red flags in her head. Maybe what she saw in her dream was some sort of warning.

"Is Bonnie on board with taking the seal down?" she asked.

Stefan pulled out his phone. "We're about to find out." he said, going to the living room to call.

Once he had left, Emma moved to where Damon was, nervously picking at the stuffing of her cast. "I don't like this."

"Don't worry. The plan will work." Damon assured.

"I don't know. I had. . visions again last night." she informed.

Damon's eyes widened, glancing quickly over to Stefan and back to Emma. "What did you see?"

She shrugged. "I can't really remember but I think it's about what we're about to do and it didn't seem good. We need to be careful."

Stefan reentered the room, putting his phone in his back pocket. "Bonnie said she'll do it. She's meeting us at the boarding house with Jeremy. Let's go."

Damon and Emma shared one last look before following Stefan out to the camaro parked outside.

* * *

"I might be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine." Bonnie explained, with Stefan, Emma, Damon, and Jeremy standing around the library.

"How?" Jeremy asked. "It took both you and your Grams last time, and look what happened to her."he reminded.

Emma sadly agreed with her brother, despite the way he delivered his concern. Bonnie's Grams passed away because of how strong the spell was and she was a powerful witch.

"I'm well aware of what happened." Bonnie said. "But I've learned a few new things."

"Bonnie. . ." Jeremy warned, the tone in his voice showing how worried he was about the plan.

"How will you get it?" Bonnie asked Stefan, ignoring Jeremy.

"She hasn't been feeding. She's weaker. We're not." Stefan said, nodding his head to Damon, who waved his glass of bourbon.

"You wouldn't be underestimating her, would you?" Bonnie questioned.

"It's a plan. Is it perfect?" Damon scoffed. "What plan is?"

"Let me do it. I've got my ring. I can get in, get out, no spells necessary." Jeremy prompted.

"Jer, how about we leave that part to the people that have super strength and powers." Emma suggested, putting her hand on his arm.

"Yes, thank you, you 16 year-old child. Why are you even here?" Damon interjected. Jeremy gave the vampire venomous look.

"Maybe I can help better the plan." Bonnie proposed. "Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?"

Emma unconsciously glanced over at Stefan, considering he's the one who keeps mementos.

Stefan sighed and vanished to his room. As we was gone, Bonnie ordered the other three to get her a bowl and a glass a water. After a few minutes, Stefan returned with a small piece of metal.

"This belonged to Katherine." he said, handing it to Bonnie. "Found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers." he explained.

Bonnie grabbed the metal, which turned out to be a picture of Katherine, and placed it in the bowl. Emma stepped closer to Bonnie as she watched the witch dip her fingers in the glass of water. She let the drops of water drip onto the picture and immediately flames erupted. The witch closed her eyes in concentration and began to chant a spell in Latin.

"What will this do?" Emma asked.

"I can turn the metal to ash." This seemed somewhat familiar to the youngest Gilbert, but couldn't find the connection. "Blow the ashes on her, and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two. Long enough for you to get the stone and get out."

Everyone stared at the bowl as the metal picture turned to ash. Once the spell finished, Bonnie dumped the ashes on the table.

"Better get the torches." Stefan pointed out, putting flashlights into their bag of supplies.

"Alaric's stake gun's are in my trunk." Damon informed.

"I'll help." Emma offered, grabbing a bag to carry.

"Bonnie?"

"Go ahead. I'm almost done." she said.

The two vampires and the Gilbert left the library and made their way to the car.

"See, Emma, so far so good." Damon said as they walked. "Your dream must have been nerves."

Emma shrugged. "I guess? I don't know. I still have an unsettling feeling."

They made it to the car and Damon opened the trunk while Stefan opened the backseat door and leaned in to put stuff down. "Yeah, yeah. Like I said. Nerves." He grabbed the bag Emma was carrying from her and set it next to the one he put in. "And maybe the whole 'Elijah being alive' was the same."

The two heard a thump from inside the car and saw Stefan get out of the car, rubbing his head.

"I'm sorry, but did I hear you say 'the whole Elijah being alive'?" he asked, a stern expression on his face.

Emma let out a weak chuckle and lightly smiled at him. "It's kind of a long story, but I sort of had a vision or something about Elijah coming back to life after you guys killed him." she stated. Upon seeing Stefan's confused and lost look, she spoke again. "But don't worry, I don't have any evidence what's so ever, so basically I could have made the whole thing up." she assured. Before Stefan could say anything, Emma began to walk away. "I'll get the last bag."

She hurriedly made her way back to the library but stopped at the doorway at what she say. Jeremy had a card out and was scooping some of the ash in his hand, secretly putting it in his pocket.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, having that familiar feeling again, like before. She watched as Jeremy played it off as getting the ash ready when Bonnie went back to his side with a pouch for the ash. The girl took the bag without the two noticing her. She went back to the car and handed the bag to Stefan.

"Hey, guys. I think I'm just going to sit this one out." she said, arms crossed.

Damon faked a shocked reaction. "What? You're saying you don't want to come?"

"Yeah, I'll just stay here till you get back." Emma said.

The brothers side glanced each other with uncertain looks, but nonetheless let the girl stay. After everything was set up, Stefan and Damon announced that they had one last stop to do before heading over to the tomb and Bonnie said she needed to stop by her house to get the grimoire. Jeremy had told Bonnie that he would meet her at the tomb, waving goodbye at the three leaving before driving away as well. By then, it was already too late when Emma finally pieced everything together.

Jeremy was going to do the plan alone.

* * *

She was running as hard as she could through the woods, trying to get to the tomb before her brother. She knew the way she was going would take her to the tomb, once using google maps out of curiosity to see how far away the boarding house was from civilization. Her shoes kicked up the dirt behind her as she ran.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." she muttered to herself, hopping over a fallen tree branch.

How could she had been so stupid? How could she not have realized that Jeremy was going to do this? She saw it in her freaking dream last night!

Emma wasn't sure for how long she was running, but when she saw the of the tomb, she pushed through the rest of distance. Reaching the stairs, she jumps down the steps.

"Jeremy?!" she shouted, stopping at the entrance of the tomb. Katherine laid passed out on the floor, with a bloody steak next to her body. "Jeremy!" she called out, quickly stepping over the vampire and running down the narrow pathway. She turned around a sharp corner when she bumped right into her brother, letting out a frightened, 'Oh my god.'

"Emma?! What are you doing here?" Jeremy frantically questioned, an alarmed look on his face.

"I can here to get you because I knew you were going to do something stupid."

Jeremy grabbed her arm and began to drag her out of the tomb fast. "We'll talk about this later after we get out of here!"

The siblings ran back down the path. They saw that Katherine was still down, hope filling their bodies. Jeremy stepped over the vampire's body and passed the seal, but when Emma's foot approached the barrier, a hand shot up and grabbed onto her ankle. Emma let out a scream as she was thrown off her balance and her arm fell out of Jeremy's grasp, landing on her stomach.

"Jeremy!" she cried as she was dragged deeper into the tomb by her leg. She turned on her back to see Katherine hovering over her body.

"Well, hello there, sis." the vampire said, her eyes red and fangs out. She hissed and bit down on the younger girl's neck, causing Emma to scream once more.

"No!" Jeremy shouted, advancing forward towards the vampire.

"Uh-uh-uh." Katherine sneered, using her vampire speed to stand up and hold Emma by her forearms with her back to her chest. "I wouldn't take another step if I was you."

"What the hell?"

"Jeremy?"

Stefan and Bonnie appeared in front of the tomb, both staring at Jeremy.

"I hate to interrupt, but today has just been full of surprises." Katherine said, Emma's blood slowly dripping from the corners of her lips.

Stefan and Bonnie turned their attention to the four hundred year old vampire holding Emma's exhausted body.

"Oh my god." Bonnie whispered, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth as Stefan helplessly stood at the foot of the tomb.

"I-I'm sorry. I took some powder and didn't know she came after me." Jeremy explained, his voice strained as tears formed in his eyes.

Emma's eyes drooped as she tried to look at Stefan and the others.

"Don't worry." Katherine began, taking a few strands of Emma's hair and twirling it with her index finger. "As much as I want to kill her, I don't want to lose my leverage. So, I'm going to be in the back with my new toy. You guys give me a holler when you've got the tomb open." she said, pulling Emma with her to the back.

"Don't do it guys." Emma weakly begged, stumbling as she was forced to go with Katherine.

Katherine tossed the girl onto a stone, making her struggle to sit on it.

"I don't know why you think they won't do it." Katherine commented, kneeling next to the girl. "They'll do anything to save little Emma." she said, stoking the side of Emma's face.

Emma glared at the vampire and pulled her face away, feeling her hair get stuck in the blood from her neck bite.

"Ooo, Ms. Tough Girl back at it again." Katherine teased, smirking down at the girl. "Now," She grabbed Emma's uncasted arm and brought it up to her mouth. "hold still, mama's thirsty." she said, biting on Emma's wrist.

Emma let out a painful hiss and shifted uncomfortably on her seat as the vampire drank her blood.

Katherine pulled away and licked the blood on the sides of her mouth. "Mmmm, there's just something about Gilbert blood that makes it so good." She opened her mouth to bit the girl's wrist again when she turned her head towards the front. "I smell a spelling coming." she said as she stood up and took Emma with her.

As they neared the opening of the tomb, there was a soft glow of orange. When Stefan, Bonnie, and her brother came into view, Emma saw four torches lit circling around Bonnie.

"Something's happening." Katherine stated, earning a glare from Stefan as he stood with his arms crossed.

The witch was carrying the grimoire in her arms with a chain in her right hand, chanting softly to herself in Latin.

"N-no, Bonnie." Emma objected, staring desperately at her friend. "You're not strong enough."

Katherine tilted her head to the side. "Maybe she is."

A stream on blood began to fall from Bonnie's nose, causing Jeremy to grab onto the witch.

"Bonnie." he said.

"You have to stop her." Emma pleaded, being thrown to the ground by Katherine as a result.

Stefan worriedly glanced at Emma and then went straight to Bonnie, shaking her shoulder. "Okay, you need to stop, Bonnie!"

The witch fought against Jeremy's and Stefan's grasps, continuing the spell. Bonnie dropped the grimoire from her hands and fainted, Jeremy catching her in her arms before she hit the floor.

Emma used her bloodied arm as support to lean up against the jagged edges of the cave wall.

"Bonnie, wake up." Jeremy said, softly patting Bonnie's cheek.

As she came to, Katherine lazily walked back and forth in front of Emma. "Yes, please because I'm still in here." she complained, giving the three an annoyed look.

Jeremy helped Bonnie up as she stared sadly at the invisible barrier.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked.

"It didn't work. I'm not strong enough." Bonnie concluded, breaking out of Jeremy's hold. "Even with help, I can't do it."

Katherine scowled at the witch, bringing Emma to her feet. "Ohh, that's too bad." she said, pushing the young girl against the wall. "I'm still hungry." She bared her fangs and, in the blink of an eye, Emma was thrown out of Katherine's arms and out the tomb.

"Stefan!"

"GO!"

From her spot on the floor, Emma looked inside to see Stefan holding Katherine back as the older vampire proudly smirked up at her one true love.

"No, Stefan." she said, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. Emma tried to crawl towards him, but she was pulled back by Jeremy and into his in brace.

"Get her out of here." Stefan instructed, looking down defeatedly.

Jeremy nodded and carried Emma out of the tomb bridal style with Bonnie behind him. Emma sobbed into his shoulder, as her brother took her to the car.

"This is all my fault. I could have stopped this." she mumbled repeatedly, earning confused looks from Bonnie and Jeremy.

When they made it to the Gilbert house, Jeremy carried Emma again and set her carefully down on the couch, where Bonnie handed her a towel to clean the blood from her wounds. She curled herself into a ball, bringing her legs close to her chest.

"It's okay, Bonnie. I don't need an escort to the kitchen." Jeremy said, walking to the kitchen for medical supplies.

"I don't know, between here and there, there's still time for you to do something stupid." Bonnie countered, following the boy. They continued to speak, but Emma tuned them out, lost in her thoughts.

Her visions came true. She remembered all of them and saw everything that happen and didn't do anything to stop it. Stefan was trapped in the tomb with Katherine, of all people, because of her. She could have prevented all of this from happening if she had just remembered. It was all her fault.

Jeremy reentered the living room, holding medicine and bandages. He sat next to her and began to dress her wounds.

She didn't say a word to him, staring off into space. Her trance was broken when the front door opened and Elena stepped inside.

Elena's eyes widened when she saw the state of her sister. "Oh my god what happen?" she asked, going straight to the siblings and kneeling before Emma while looking at the bite marks. Damon had walked through the door behind Elena and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Emma and Jeremy made eye contact and he guided Elena out of the room to tell her.

Damon inched to the girl. "Emma. . ."

Emma choked and let out another sob. Damon sat on the couch next to her and rested his hand on her leg. "It's Stefan, Damon." she wept. "H-he's trapped in the tomb," She paused to breathe through her congested nose. "with Katherine."

Damon sighed and closed his eyes in frustration.

"But Damon," she continued. "I saw it."

The vampire snapped his eyes open and looked at Emma in surprise.

"My dream last night showed me what happened today. It all came true."

"Well," Damon interjected. "that's not the only thing that came true."

Emma was wiping away the tears on her face when she froze. She looked Damon in the eyes. "No." she whispered. "No, Damon."

Damon nodded his head and let out an annoyed sigh. "You were right. Elijah's alive."


	20. By the Light of the Moon

"Does it say anything, Bonnie?" Emma asked, sitting at the head of Elena's bed with a book in her hands.

Bonnie, sitting on the bed as well, shook her head and flipped to the next page of the grimoire. "No. Nothing yet."

The night of the unfortunate events that had occurred, Emma saw it was finally time to tell everyone about her abilities after Elena and Damon came back from visiting Stefan at the tomb. Let's just say her sister was not too thrilled about the secret. But of course, upon seeing Emma's distraught and trembling form, Elena let go of her anger and comforted the fragile girl. In order to solve the mystery of Emma's powers, Bonnie had offered to help by searching the grimoire for answers.

Elena stood by her dresser, staring down at the moonstone in her hand. "So, now that you've got this back, what are you gonna do with it?" she asked Bonnie, turning around to face the two girls.

"Right now, it's what's binding the sun and moon curse. If I can figure out a way to remove the spell from the stone, the stone becomes useless."

"And according to Katherine, Klaus becomes vengeful." Elena added.

"Maybe." Emma injected, setting her book to the side. "If he finds out."

Elena groaned. "Can't this wait? Stefan is stuck in the tomb with Katherine. We've got to get him out." she said.

"Stefan wants me to focus on this." Bonnie argued, gesturing towards the moonstone.

"Well, don't listen to him. He thinks he's protecting me, but he's wrong." Elena reasoned, desperately trying to convince Bonnie otherwise.

"I'm taking Stefan's side with this one." Bonnie stated. "We're not gonna let you get used in some creepy sacrifice ritual." She reached out and took the moonstone out of Elena's hand.

Elena looked over at Emma for support, but the girl gave her older sister a guilty shrug.

Just then, Jeremy opened Elena's bedroom door. "What are you guys arguing about?"

Emma scooted her way off the bed. "Arguing about nothin', bro." she said, grabbing her research book again and walked over to him.

Bonnie nodded in agreement and put the moonstone in her bag's front pocket. She made quick eye contact with the two younger Gilberts before standing up.

"I need a coffee." She moved passed Emma and Jeremy and went downstairs.

Emma glanced at her older siblings and awkwardly left the room as well, going downstairs after Bonnie. Bonnie was just turning the corner of the bottom of the stairs when she saw Emma.

"You know what to do." she said.

Emma nodded and opened the front door, stepping outside. Upon shutting the door, she patiently waited with her arms folded behind her back. And in no time, Elena opened the door and was stopped by an invisible barrier.

"Going somewhere?" Emma asked, giving Elena a sad smile.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she tried to walk through the door. She looked at Emma with an hurt expression before she turned to Bonnie.

"What did you do?"

"It's for the best, Elena." Bonnie said.

Elena let out a defeated sigh and continued trying to push through the barrier.

"Elena, please, just stop." Emma pleaded, advancing forward.

Giving up, Elena shook her head and turned, walking to the living room. Emma stepped inside the house, frowning as she watch Elena go. Bonnie rested a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, she may be mad now, but soon she'll understand." the witch said and Emma nodded in understanding. Bonnie walked over to Jeremy, grabbed her bag from his hands, and stood at the base of the door. "Well, I'm going to do some more research on the curse and . . . find out Emma's problem." And with that she left.

Emma slowly made her way to Elena, who was sitting on the couch. "Since, um, you're kind of stuck here," she joked, earning a slight glare from her sister. "do you think you can help me? You know, speed up the progress of figuring out what's wrong with me." she finished, gesturing to the book still in her hand.

The oldest Gilbert nodded, reaching her hand out for the book. Emma smiled, handing it to her. "I'll be back." She then ran up the stairs to her room. From her bed, she grabbed the various books she checked out from the library on mythical beings. Emma carried the stack of books downstairs and stopped at the base when she saw Damon make his way for the door.

"Well, if it isn't our little fortune teller." Damon said, with a sly smirk on his face. "How's research?"

Emma sighed, shoulders slightly hunched. "No good. Bonnie's having a hard time finding anything in the grimoire."

"Don't worry, we'll get answers." Damon said, patting the Emma's back.

Though, when his hand made contact, Emma's eyes went wide as she let out a loud gasp and dropped the books on the ground.

A woman's face appeared in her mind. She was beautiful. Brunette with hints of blonde, tall, blue eyes. She said the name 'Mason' as it echoed within.

"Emma."

The girl blinked multiple times in confusion until she finally saw Damon shaking her shoulders as he stared worriedly at her.

"Did you- did you just have a vision?" the vampire asked.

"Y-yeah. I think I did." she responded, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Who was that lady?

"Then what did you see?"

Emma shrugged. "Um, it was some lady? I don't know, I've never seen her before. She was saying 'Mason'." she informed. Upon seeing Damon's recognition to her words, she then asked him, "Wait, do you know who I'm talking about?"

Damon made an uncertain expression. "Maybe. Not sure. Alaric just called me that someone's asking questions about our dead dog. Could be who you just saw."

"What are you going to do?" Emma asked. "You're not going to kill her are you?" She put her hands on her hips as she gave Damon a disapproving look.

"I'm not going to kill her, okay? We have leverage. We know about her before she knows about us. If she turns out to be a problem, then I kill her."

Emma scoffed in shock, and Damon smiled at her, patting her head and leaving the Gilbert home. She shook her head, bending down and picking up the books she dropped on the floor. Going to the living room, she set them down on the coffee table and sat down. For the remainder of the day, she and Elena read and read and read, but could not find anything.

"Hey, I'll be back. I'm gonna shower." Elena said, tossing a book onto the couch as she got up.

Emma softly smiled up at her. "Okay."

A few minutes went by and the girl slammed her current book shut and threw it aside. She huffed in annoyance as she reached out for another. As she opened the book, she heard the front door open along with Jenna's and a stranger's voice.

"Hi, Jenna." she greeted, her focus on her book.

"Hey, kiddo." Jenna responded. "Could you come here for a second, I'd like to introduce you to our guest."

Emma quietly grunted, rolling her eyes and putting the book down. She got up and went to the foyer where she saw Jenna smiling at the man who had his back facing Emma.

"Emma, I'd like you to meet Elijah." Jenna introduced, the man, Elijah, turning around to reveal his face to the young girl.

She froze mid-step when she saw him. What was Elijah doing here in her home?

Elijah smiled at her. "Hello, Emma."

Emma broke from her trance as she opened her mouth and struggled to speak. "H-uh-h-hi." At the same time, she stumbled back and bumped into the table that had picture frames. She quickly turned to make nothing fell. "Oh, sorry." She faced the adults again. "Yeah, hi." Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest from the anxiety she was feeling. She was sure Elijah could hear it.

Elijah stuck his hand out towards the girl. "It's nice to meet you."

Emma glanced from his hand to his intriguing eyes. Her uncasted, shaky hand extended out and shook his. "Likewise."

When their hands pulled apart, Elijah turned to Jenna. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm quite parched. Do you mind-?"

"Oh, yes. I'll get you something." Jenna said, leaving Emma and Elijah to go into the kitchen.

A moment of silence went by. "Emma Belle Gilbert." Elijah began, folding his arms behind his back. "I've heard much about you. Daughter to Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, youngest of three, and apparently one. . . who can see the future." he stated, moving closer to her.

Emma's eyes widened in surprise. "H-how did yo-"

"Oh, our friend, Damon Salvatore, had informed me, during our little encounter with your sister, of your vision seeing me come back to life." He grinned down at her. "You know, I've met a couple of your kind during my long life."

"What?" Emma tensed at his previous statement. "Wait, does that mean you know what I am?" she asked.

Elijah nodded. "Of course. You happen to be-"

"Here you go." Jenna announced, handing the Original vampire a glass of water. He gladly took it and took a sip. "Well, I'll get those records I was telling you about."

"Ah, great. I'll wait in the kitchen." Elijah said, giving Emma one last smile before going into the kitchen.

"Here, Em, help me out." Jenna ordered, opening the door to the closet underneath the stairs.

Emma knelt down and helped pull out the boxes Jenna handed her. "So, why's Elijah here?"

"I'm-"

"Hey," Elena said, standing in front of Jenna and Emma. "What are you doing?"

"Perfect timing." Jenna said, lifting a box up to Elena, who struggled to hold it. "These are your mom's files from the historical society."

Elena glanced at Emma to see her uneasy expression. They made eye contact and Emma hoped that her sister would get the hint that something was wrong.

"I got roped into helping Mrs. Lockwood." Jenna explained, picking up the other box and giving it to Emma. "And by roped, I mean very excited to participate." Jenna said, closing the door to reveal Elijah to Elena, scaring her.

"Hey, I'm Elijah." he said, introducing himself.

Elena looked at Emma again for an explanation, though the young girl could only give a defeated shrug.

"Emma, set that at the table," Jenna ordered, Emma following her directions. Jenna went up to Elena and took the box she held from her. "Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls." she added as she put the box on the table as well.

"It's a pleasure." Elijah held out his hand to Elena which she shook.

Emma stood by Elena as Jenna spoke to Elijah.

"So you know, you're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff, or we could help you load it into your car." she offered.

"Yeah, or I can get someone to pick it up tomorrow." Elijah suggested.

Jenna chuckled. "Also a good plan."

As Jenna guided Elijah to the front door, Elijah said, "Thank you, Jenna, for inviting me into your home, and, Emma, Elena, I hope to see you again." He smiled and went on his way.

Elena grabbed Emma's hand and dragged her upstairs. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"He was right there. He could have heard me." Emma argued, struggling to match her sister's speed.

The two girls made it to Jeremy's room and started to rapidly knock on his door. Just as Elena was about to turn the doorknob, Elijah appeared and grabbed her arm, preventing her from opening the door. He raised his index finger to his lips and silently shushed the girls. Footsteps were heard inside Jeremy's room and he opened his door. Elijah pushed his back to the wall and hid.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, taking off his headphone.

"N-nothing." Emma stuttered, earning a curious glance from the vampire.

Elena nodded. "Yeah. Jenna just needs your help with the boxes."

"Okay." Jeremy said. He left his room and went downstairs, unaware of Elijah standing with the girls.

Elijah stepped forward as he watched Jeremy descend. "Wise choice."

"What do you want?" Elena questioned, pulling Emma close to her.

"I think it's time we had a little chat." Elijah said, motioning to Elena's room.

Elena narrowed her eyes and made her way to her room with Emma by her side. As the three entered the room, Elijah went up to the window.

"Oh, forgive the intrusion. I mean your family no harm." he stated, moving aside the pillows on Elena's window seat.

"Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take me?" Elena asked, closing the door.

Emma sat on the corner of the bed, facing Elijah.

"Because I didn't want you to be taken."

"Why would you, of all people, want to keep Elena safe?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.

Elijah chuckled. "Klaus is the most feared and hated of the Originals, those that fear him are desperate for his approval. If word gets out that the doppelganger exists, there'll be a line of vampires eager to take you to him, and I can't have that."

Elena voiced another question. "Isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?"

"Let's just say that my goal is not to break the curse."

"Then what do you want?" Emma questioned.

"His obsessions have made him paranoid. He's a recluse. Klaus trusts only those in his immediate circle." Elijah said.

"Like you?" Emma asked.

Elijah slightly shook his head. "Not anymore."

"You don't know where he is, do you?" Elena inquired. Elijah's distraught face said it all. "So you're trying to use me to draw him out."

Elijah gave a somewhat suppressed smile. "To do that, I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Elena asked, crossing her arms as she stood next to Emma.

"Well, if I wasn't being truthful, all your family would be dead," Elijah snuck a glance at Emma. "no matter how special they are," Emma tensed. "and I'd be taking you to Klaus right now. Instead, I'm here, and I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"What kind of a deal?" Elena asked.

Emma held out her hand to stop her. "Whoa, you're not actually thinking about trusting him, are you?"

"What choice do I have, right now?" Elena countered.

"Don't worry, you don't have to do much. Simply do nothing." the Original said, standing up and walking over to Elena's dresser. "Live your life, stop fighting. And then, when the time is right, you and I shall draw Klaus out together, and I shall make certain that your friends remain unharmed."

Elena uncrossed her arms. "And then what?"

"Then I kill him."

"Just like that?" Emma asked, unsure about the level of easiness of killing Klaus.

"Just like that."

"Aren't you guys supposed to be difficult to kill?" Emma questioned.

"That may be but I'm a man of my word. I make a deal, I keep a deal. I make sure there is a way."

Elena adjusted her feet, placing her hands in her back pockets. "How are you going to be able to keep everybody safe?"

"You know, I notice you have a friend, Bonnie, is it? She seems to possess the gift of magic."

"Let me guess, you have friends of your own." Emma concluded.

"Correct, little one. Together we can protect everybody that matters to you." Elijah advanced towards the girls and looked at both of them in the eyes. "So do we have a deal?"

Elena seemed to have realized something, making her say to Elijah, "I need you to do one more thing for me."

"We're negotiating now?" Elijah questioned, an eyebrow raised curiosity. Elena cocked her head to the side, as if to challenge him and Emma feared for the worse.

Thought, it turned out Elena had Elijah use the power of his witch friends to lift the curse from the tomb in order to save Stefan. In addition to freeing Stefan, Katherine was made to stay in the tomb, left to wait for Klaus' punishment. When Stefan had arrived at the Gilbert house, Emma gave him a quick hug and went to her room so that the two lovebirds could be alone. What she didn't expect was to see Elijah patiently waiting for her in her room.

Emma let out a gasp in surprise upon seeing him. She quickly closed the door and faced him. "What are you still doing here?"

"It dawned on me that our previous conversation was interrupted earlier this evening. I'm simply here to pass on the information you desperately desire." Elijah responded, arms behind his back.

Emma shrugged. "How do you know I don't already know what I am."

Elijah chuckled and kindly smiled at the young girl. "The many books you have scattered about on mystical beings says otherwise."

Emma sighed and waved out her arms. "Fine, you got me."

Elijah brought out one of his arms, appearing to be holding a medium size brown book in his hand. He gave it to her.

Confusion was evident on Emma's face. "What is this?"

"The answers you seek."

Emma looked at the cover of the book. The outside material was leather and looked and felt worn out. Engraved on it was the word 'Seer'. She glanced up at Elijah with furrowed eyebrows, only to see he had disappeared.

"What?" she muttered, scanning her room to make sure he wasn't standing behind her.

She looked at the book once again and then slowly made her way to her bed. Getting comfortable, she opened the old book to page one and began reading. It was going to be a long night.


	21. The Descent

Emma was in a mood. A very bad mood to be exact. She did not get _any_ sleep the night before due to the fact she stayed up reading the book Elijah gave her. And on top of not sleeping, she had to go to a stupid doctors appointment with Jenna.

"Okay, Emma, you're arm looks great, but I think we should give it another week before we take the cast off." the doctor said, scribbling something down on his clipboard.

Emma let out a groan, which earned her a slap on the arm from Jenna.

"What Emma means is thank you." she said, politely smiling at the man.

The doctor chuckled. "Of course she did. Now, to schedule th-"

At that point, Emma tuned the man out. She couldn't stop thinking around that book. It kind of helped her understand who she was. It turns out that her ablility to see the future is called divination and were messages from the ancient Greek gods. Normally, she would have doubted something like Greek gods being real but thanks to certain people, she believes in the impossible.

"Alright, well, thank you, doctor, and we'll be seeing you next week." Jenna said, shaking the man's hand.

Emma nodded in his direction and followed Jenna out of the hospital to the car. The car ride was somewhat quiet, with Jenna trying to initiate conversation and Emma giving one word replies or sounds. After Jenna shut the car off, Emma got out of her seat and trudged upstairs to her room.

"It was nice talking to you!" Jenna shouted from the base of the stairs as Emma shut her bedroom door. Jenna shook her head and mumbled, "Teenagers."

The youngest Gilbert laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling in boredom. She glanced over at the book Elijah gave her that was on her desk and decided to go to the boarding house. The only problem was how she was going to get there. She couldn't ask Jenna, given how it would have been a little weird and also the vampire drama going on there. Couldn't ask Jeremy since he disappeared this morning. Elena? Probably already there and it would have been a hassle for her to drive all the way home and back. Then she remembered. She remembered the bet. Reaching for her phone on the nightstand, Emma called the world's most annoying vampire.

" _What_." Damon answered, already knowing who was on the other line.

"Aw, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Emma joked, sitting up.

" _Ha-ha. What do you want?_ "

Emma sighed. "I need a ride."

" _A ride?_ "

"Yes, a ride."

" _To where? And what makes you think I'm going to do it?_ "

She smiled. "Well, my destination is your house. And you have to do it."

Emma could hear laughter on the Damon's end. " _You, short stack, are one funny girl. Yeah, I'm not picking you up._ "

She got up from her bed and went over to her desk with the book. "Yes, you are. Because, if you remember, you lost a bet that I won." There was a minute of silence before she spoke again. "I'm assuming you remember now?" She picked up the book and held it in her arms. "I expect you to be here in 5 min-"

She was interrupted when a pair of hands grasped her shoulders suddenly. Emma let out a shriek as she felt a gust of wind and was thrown backwards. She held onto the book tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. Her back hit a soft surface and when she opened her eyes, she saw Damon standing in front of her.

"There, you got your ride." he said, tossing her her phone.

Emma was confused, that's for sure, and when she noticed that she was in the boarding house, she became angry.

"Hey! That does not count!" she argued, standing up tall.

Damon lazily shrugged. "Sadly, you don't make the rules."

Emma rolled her eyes. She saw in his hands a bag of blood, making her grimace in disgust. Damon smirked and waved it in front of her face.

"Thirsty?"

Emma rolled her eyes once again. If she keeps doing that, she'll end up straining her eyes.

"Who's it for?" she asked.

"Rose." Damon replied, motioning Emma to follow him as he began to walk to the library. Emma had yet to meet Rose, considering she was semi helping them stop Klaus.

As she followed Damon, though, she felt a little uneasy, like there was something off. Entering the library, Emma saw a woman with short hair, who she assumed was Rose, sitting by the fireplace.

"I was born in 1450. That makes me 560 years old." she said, staring into the fire.

"If you were a bottle of wine. . ." Damon joked, opening the blood bag.

"So I can die. I've lived long enough." Rose continued.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"

Rose looked over at the young girl in curiosity.

"Right. Rose this is Emma. Emma this is Rose." Damon introduced, as he grabbed a glass.

"I was bit by a werewolf." Rose explained. Emma's eyes widened in shock.

"Come on. It's just a little werewolf bite." Damon reasoned, filling the glass with blood from the blood bag.

Emma looked up at Damon as if he was crazy. "You do realize it's a vampire killi-" Stopped talking when Damon was frantically signalling for her to shush.

"See? She knows." Rose pointed out, pulling her jacket closer.

"Well. according to legend, which is a notoriously unreliable source." Damon said. He handed Rose the glass full of blood. "Drink up. Blood heals."

Rose sighed and took a sip. Emma watched intently as Rose nodded in content.

"Yeah, it does feel like it's working."

Damon smiled. "Alright, let's have a look."

Rose turned to the side with her back facing Damon and Emma. Damon peeled her jacket back from her right shoulder. Emma held in a gasp and covered mouth with her hand in shock when she saw the werewolf bite. She had no idea how it looked like when Rose was first bitten but Emma knew that the blood was not healing the wound at all. And by the look on Damon's face, it must gotten worse.

"How is it?" Rose asked, resting her head against the opposite shoulder.

Damon pushed Rose's shirt strap to the side as he examined it. "Definitely. . . looks better." He saw Elena enter the room. "Right, Elena?"

Elena was shocked when she saw the bite but got the hint when Damon and Emma gestured to Rose. "It's not bad." she said as Rose turned and faced the older girl.

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked.

"He left. I need you to talk to him." Elena said, leaning against the pillar. "He's convinced that he has to find Isobel. But I think that's going to upset Elijah."

Damon refilled Rose's glass with blood. "No can do. I'm with Stefan on this one. But if you two could play nurse for a little while. . ." he said, setting the blood bag down and walking over to Elena.

"It's not necessary." Rose tried to reason.

"It is necessary. Elena's a do-gooder. It's in her nature. She just can't resist. And Emma's a follower." Damon said, walking out of the room with Elena on his tail.

That left Emma standing next to Rose, alone.

"I-Is there anything I can get you?" Emma asked, setting the book in her hands down on an end table.

Rose slightly raised her glass. "I would like some more, um. . ."

Emma took the glass from her hand and walked over to the bag of blood. She picked up the bag and gagged a little when she felt how squishy the bag felt. Rose began to stand.

"Emma, it's okay. You don't need to-"

"No, no. Please, this is the least I can do. I got this." Emma assured, pouring the blood. When she felt there was enough, she went back to Rose and gave her the glass.

"Thank you." Rose said.

Elena reentered the library and set her side bag on a chair. "Rose, I think you should lie down. Here," She walked over and reached out her hand. "let us help you."

Emma and Elena helped Rose up the stairs to Damon's room. When they got there, they began to guide the vampire to the bed.

"I'm a vampire. I haven't had a cold in 5 centuries." Rose said, reaching out for the bed.

"You just need rest." Emma said, setting the glass of blood on the nightstand as Elena took off Rose's jacket.

"We don't get sick. When we die, it's fast and sudden. And it's certainly not drawn out with an illness."

"You're not going to die." Elena said, tossing aside the jacket.

Rose chuckled. "Such a human thing to say." There was a brief silence as Emma helped Rose settle in the bed. Rose broke it when she saw Elena looking around. "You've never been in Damon's room before, have you?"

Elena looked at the pile of books Damon had and scoffed at the one on the top.

"Not what you expected?" Emma asked, carefully climbing onto the bed with Rose.

"It's just a room with a bed." Elena said, following suit. "Maybe I expected there to be silk sheets."

The girls laughed at the joke.

"You're lucky, you know. No one's ever loved me the way you're loved." Rose commented, staring up at the oldest Gilbert sister.

"I doubt that." Elena said.

"Trevor was my best friend. Nothing more. I spent all those years on the run from Elijah. I just never thought it was a good idea to set up roots. The whole idea of a family is not exactly compatible with being a vampire." Rose explained to the girls.

It really made Emma think about the life Damon, Stefan, and Caroline were stuck with. They were stuck being vampires with no cure. If they wanted a family, it would be impossible. And if the person they fell in love with was human, there would be no way for them to stay together forever, unless their significant other decided to turn. That made Emma think of Stefan and Elena. What was going to happen to them in the future?

"Why are you so eager to give up?" Rose asked, watching Elena pick up the glass.

"I'm not giving up on anything. Here." Elena said, handing the glass over.

"What do you call this whole deal with Elijah?" Rose questioned.

"I call it my best option."

"It's your easiest option."

"Whoa, that's not fair." Emma interrupted.

"You really think your witch friend destroyed the moonstone?" Rose asked the two, trying to create doubt.

"I spoke with Bonnie and I know she had the help of another witch. Assuming it's Elijah's witch, so, no, I don't." Elena said.

"You really are determined to die, aren't you?" Rose's comment made Emma look over at Elena and couldn't help but believe it was true. "At least I ran. You're not even trying." Rose handed the glass to Emma and buried herself deeper in the pillow. "I'm so tired."

Emma and Elena scooted off the bed and began to leave the bedroom to let Rose rest but stopped when Rose called out to them.

"No, wait. Tell them to ready the horses." the vampire said, reopening her eyes.

"It's okay, Rose. Just get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." Elena said.

"Trevor, don't be so stupid. We're never going to make it there before the sun." Rose muttered, turning slightly in the bed.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Trevor?"

Just then, Rose began to groan in pain. "Oh, I-I need more blood."

Emma raced over and handed the glass to Rose again. Only, when she took a sip, Rose gagged and spit out the blood, leaving her in a coughing state.

"Elena?" Emma cried, her eyes wide in horror.

Elena pointed towards the bathroom. "Emma, go get a towel with water."

Emma nodded and ran over to the sink. She grabbed the closest towel she could find and turned the faucet on to let the water soak the towel. "Elena, here." she said, holding out the towel as she walked out the bathroom. Elena met Emma half way and grabbed the towel. Emma heard a whoosh and looked behind Elena.

"Uh, Elena? Where'd Rose go?" Emma asked, seeing the bed empty.

Elena looked at the bed in confusion. Then, all of a sudden, Emma felt herself being thrown to the side. Her back hit the wall on the opposite side of the bedroom.

"You, Katerina. You did this!" She heard Rose say. Emma groaned in pain and slowly brought herself up to an upright position. She looked straight ahead to see Elena pushed up against the door by Rose.

"Rose, Rose, I'm Elena!" Elena yelled, pushing Rose back.

"You traitor!" Rose bared her teeth.

"I'm not Katherine!" Elena shouted.

From her spot on the floor, Emma saw Rose calm down and step away from Elena.

"Elena?" Rose looked to the right and noticed Emma on the floor, rubbing her back. "I'm- I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening to me."

"It's all right. You're going to be all right." Elena assured, gently grasping Rose's arm. Emma stood up and moved herself closer to the door as Elena took Rose back to the bed.

"My mind. I'm-" Rose began but stopped mid-sentence.

"It was only a second." Emma said, trying to act as calm as she could.

"I'm sorry. Don't be scared of me."

"We're not." Elena looked back at Emma. "We're not. You just need to sleep."

"I'm scared." Rose admitted.

"You're not alone. We're right here." Elena said.

Rose sat up quickly. "Here? Where's here?"

Elena pushed the ill vampire back down. "Damon's bedroom. You're in Damon's bedroom."

"I want to go home." Rose pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.

"Tell us about it." Elena suggested, gesturing for Emma to walk back over. Emma shuffled to Elena's side and stayed there.

"St. Austell. 30 kilometers south of London." Rose started. "With fields and trees and horses." She smiled at the memory.

"Sounds beautiful." Emma commented.

"When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted. I just wish I hadn't been so afraid." Rose admitted.

Emma felt bad for being scared of Rose. It wasn't her fault she lashed out like that. It was the werewolf venom. Emma reached out and patted Rose's leg as the vampire drifted to sleep.

"Is she going to be alright?" Emma asked Elena as she stared at Rose.

Elena shrugged and shook her head. "At this point, I'm not so sure." Elena stood up from the bed and walked to the door. "I'm going to get some clean sheets. Please watch her." Before Emma could protest, Elena had already shut the door behind her.

Emma sighed and glanced at Rose, an itching feeling telling her something bad was going to happen once again. She got up and went to the bathroom sink. Turing on the faucet, Emma splashed some water on her face and patted her cheeks. She let out a sigh. Sometimes, situations like this just takes so much energy out of her. Just as she finished drying her face, Emma froze heard the door open. Dropping the towel, Emma ran out of the bathroom to see Rose gone from the bed and the bedroom door wide open.

"Ooh, no." Emma whispered, mentally kicking herself. She had one job to do. Emma rushed out into the hall way and raced downstairs, looking around for the vampire. She didn't see anyone in the living room so she went to the library next to come up with the same result.

"Emma?"

Emma let out a gasp and turned around to see Elena standing by the door frame leading into the library.

"Oh, my gosh, Elena."

"Where's Rose? I went back to Damon's room and both of you were gone. What happened?" Elena questioned, making her way closer to Emma.

"That's the thing, I don't know where Rose is. She just disappeared." Emma explained.

Elena sighed and pulled out her phone, probably calling Damon. "Hey, I think you should come back. I'm worried about Rose."

Suddenly, there was a cluttering sound coming from the basement of the boarding house. Emma and Elena both looked in the direction of the noise and started to walk to the basement. As they walked, Elena bent down and picked up an empty blood bag off the floor and showed it to Emma. They continued onward and saw Rose surrounded with a mountain of more blood bags as she drained the contents of the one in her hand. Rose sensed the girls and looked over her shoulder at them.

"Katerina." she sneered, dropping the blood bag.

"No." Elena said, pushing Emma back up the stairs but not before she pulled down an old door to slow Rose.

Emma reached out and tried to open the first door to her right but it was locked. She felt herself being pushed forward again when she turned around to see Rose advancing slowly toward them.

"Rose, stop, stop, it's Elena. I'm not Katherine. You're hallucinating." Elena said, holding out a hand at Rose to keep her back. Elena had made Emma stand behind her. "I'm not Katherine."

For a minute, it seemed like Rose was coming to, as her eyes returned to their normal color and her teeth retracted. But it only lasted a brief second before Rose growled and pounced on top of Elena. Emma let out a shriek as she saw Elena wrestle Rose. Emma looked behind her and saw the blinds covering the window. She pulled on them and a ray of sunshine hit Rose, burning her skin as she screamed in pain.

Elena pushed Rose off of her and grabbed Emma, running to the front door. But alas, Rose caught up with them and slammed the door shut. Emma was knocked down and Rose trapped Elena against the door. Quickly, Elena dug her fingers deep in Rose's wound, making her fall down in pain. Emma followed Elena away from Rose to Stefan's room, where Elena locked the door and Emma helped her push the dresser in front of the door.

The two of them backed away, gasping for air.

Elena nodded towards the balcony. "Go to the doors."

Emma went to the curtains and threw them open, allowing sunlight to flood the room. She opened the double doors and went back to Elena's side, who had broken a table leg to use as a stake.

The door handle shook, causing the sisters to jump.

"Emma? Elena? I know it's you and not Katherine." Rose said from the other side of the door. She then started coughing and gagging frantically. "Please, I need your help."

The sisters ignored her, though. They said nothing for a very long time. So long that it soon became night time. Elena and Emma ended up sitting side by side on the floor as Elena twirled the makeshift stake in her hands. The sound of crickets filled Stefan's bedroom which made Emma notice how silent it was. Standing up, she slowly made her way to the door.

"Emma." Elena whispered, but Emma held up her index finger to silence her.

Emma bent down and looked under the door and did not see and shoes on the other side. Establishing a firm grip, Emma pushed the dresser to the side and unlocked the door. She paused for a second and looked at Elena for the all clear. Elena nodded, with the stake ready, and Emma opened the door, anxiety shaking her body. Pulling the door wider, the girls saw no one outside the door. They stepped out and went downstairs.

With Elena in the front, they walked down the hall and peered around the corner to look in the living room but no one was there. Emma felt a breeze behind her and turned around to see the front door wide open. There was a sudden movement and the Gilbert sisters let out a scream when Damon suddenly appeared.

"You guys okay?" he asked, surveying the area. "Where's Rose?"

Emma shrugged. "Don't know."

* * *

Emma and Elena stood outside their school, where the annual barbecue was taking place. Elena had called Stefan multiple times but he didn't answer any of her calls.

"Please call me. It's important." Elena said, before hanging up her phone.

Emma looked around and saw Damon coming towards them. "Damon." she called out, getting his attention.

Elena turned to him. "Have you heard from him? Do you know what he's up to?" she asked.

Damon didn't look at the girls at all, just constantly looking from side to side. "Baby brother's not exactly my priority right now." He reached inside his pocket and pulled out two stakes for the girls. "Here, take these." He placed the stakes in their hands. "Let's go." Damon grabbed onto their arms and pulled them away from the police.

They went further into the parking lot, the area where less people were. As they made their way through the many cars, there was a loud crashing noise and a woman screaming. The three ran towards the commotion and saw Rose biting the neck of a blonde girl.

"Rose, stop!" Damon shouted, making Rose let go of the girl.

Rose advanced towards Damon and lunged at him. Damon easily used his vampire strength to switch positions with Rose, pinning her on the road. Emma stood ready with the stake.

"Rose, Rose! It's me. It's Damon." Rose stared at Damon and began to calm down. The veins around her eyes disappeared as she came to.

Rose saw the blonde girl's body on the ground. "Did I do this?" she asked, tears flowing down her cheeks. "No! I didn't mean to. I never wanted to hurt anybody." she sobbed.

"It's okay, let's get you home." Damon said, trying to get her up.

"No, I don't have a home. I haven't had a home in so long! Make it stop! Please!" Rose pleaded, struggling against Damon.

Damon collected Rose into his arms and carried her bridal style out of the parking lot, with Elena and Emma in tow.

* * *

When they had returned Rose to the boarding house, they had changed her out of her clothes into fresh ones and laid her on Damon's bed again. Damon had kicked the sisters out of his room, but that didn't stop them from creeping back into his room.

"I'm sorry," Rose apologized from the bed, sensing the girls. "I don't like taking human life. I never have."

"It wasn't your fault." Emma said, giving Rose a sad smile.

Damon looked behind him and saw them. "You two shouldn't be here." he snapped.

Rose saw their distraught faces. "That's the worst part about death. . . the hunt. The need to kill. The thirst. The pleasure. I wasn't meant to be evil. It hurts."

"Well, then stop talking about it." Damon ordered.

"Damon's a lot like me." Rose admitted. "He wants to care, but the minute he does, he runs away from it."

Emma couldn't help but agree. Damon is just afraid to make attachments because he doesn't want to get hurt.

"You need to fight." Rose told Elena. "I know that you're scared, but you have to do it anyway." Emma hoped that message got through to Elena.

Rose coughed again and Emma placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rose smiled up to the girl.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

"Us humans." Emma answered.

"You can never forget it. What it's like to be human. It haunts me. It's the only thing that's kept me going. It doesn't hurt as much."

Emma huffed out a a sort of chuckle at her comment. Rose groaned, then screamed as she hugged herself.

"What do we do?" Elena asked Damon.

"Go." he said, pushing aside Emma and Elena to sit on the bed. He cradled Rose in his arms. "Just go. I got this."

As they left, Rose's cries of pain could be heard all around the house.

* * *

Emma and Elena sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for Damon to return from outside. When he entered, he narrowed his eyes at them.

"I thought I told you guys to leave."

"We did, but we wanted to make sure you were okay." Emma explained, watching as Elena handed a glass full of bourbon to Damon.

"I'm just glad it's over." he said, taking a tip.

"You know there's no way we believe that." Elena said, resting a hand on her hip.

"Go home. It's a whole new day tomorrow." he pleaded, pointing towards the door.

Emma sighed. "Damon, we're you friends."

"I'm well aware of that."

"And friends help each other." Elena finished.

"What do you want to hear? That I cared about Rose? That I'm upset? Well I didn't and I'm not." Damon moved to leave.

"There you go, pretending to turn it off, not to feel. You're so close. Don't give up." Elena begged.

"I feel, okay? It sucks. And what's worse is that it was supposed to be me. Jules was coming after me."

"You feel guilty." Elena pointed out.

"That would make me human, right? Well I'm not. You're one to talk about giving up. All you do is give up. Go home." Damon said again.

"Okay, I will." Elena said, grabbing her jacket and going out the door. Emma stayed behind, much to Damon's disappointment.

"Emma, please. I've had enough of one Gilbert for the day, don't add on." Damon asked.

Emma looked at Damon with sad eyes. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened at first but then slowly loosened up. He ended up wrapping his arms around her as well and held onto her tightly. But it was only brief. He let go of the young girl and walked off. Emma frowned and went outside to a waiting Elena.

The girls drove home. When they entered the house, Stefan walked out of the kitchen.

"Stefan, you're home." Elena said.

"Rose?" he asked, leaning against the banister. The girls sadly shook their heads.

Emma began to ascend up the stairs. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Wait." Stefan said, stopping the girl from going any further. "I called Isobel."

"I know. It's okay." Elena said. "Did you find her?"

"Not exactly." A voice said from the kitchen.

Emma leaned forward over the banister and saw her uncle John emerging from the kitchen.

"Uncle John," Emma said, sighing. "What a lovely surprise."


	22. Daddy Issues

Emma trudged her way downstairs, the events of last night haunting her mind. It was unfortunate that there was no cure for Rose to take in order to survive the werewolf bite. She was punished to a life of fear because of Katherine and her last moments were in pain. No one should have to go through that. And then of course Emma remembered the surprise visit from John. Just when things were getting somewhat better, he comes to make it worse. She went into the kitchen where she found John drinking coffee while watching the news on TV.

" _. . . We will be holding a memorial in town square today to honor all those we have lost. Join us in hopes that as a community, we can begin to heal._ " Mrs. Lockwood said on the television.

"Emma." John greeted after he turned of the TV as she opened the fridge to pull out orange juice.

She simply ignored him, opening the cabinets and grabbing a small cup.

"I see you still wear the vervain bracelet I gave you." John continued, pointing to her wrist.

Emma, in quick movement, unhooked the bracelet and tossed it in the garbage, to which she proceeded to pour the juice in the cup and return the carton of orange juice in the fridge. She brought the cup up to her lips and took a couple of gulps of the juice.

John cleared his throat, "Oh, well, do you want me to make you-" He stopped talking when he saw the blank expression Emma was giving him. "Never mind." he said, sipping his coffee again. Finally, he took the hint.

A minute went by before Elena walking into the kitchen.

"Morning." John said, only to be cut short.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, getting straight to the point.

John tried changing the subject. "Coffee?" he offered, holding out a mug.

"We're not doing that. We did that last night. No more avoiding. Why are you here?" Elena asked one more time.

"I'm here to protect you. That's all I can say." John admitted, which earned a laugh from Emma.

"Yeah, and how's that been going?" she countered, glaring up at her uncle.

"I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust you." John stated, giving a side glance at Emma.

"Oh, god, I'm late." Emma heard. Jenna walked in the room with Alaric behind her. She set her purse on the dinning room table and made the move to go to the coffeemaker but stopped when she saw John.

"That's what you get for hitting the snooze 3 times." Alaric said, his smile vanishing once he realized what happened.

"What the hell?" was all Jenna could say.

John side stepped the Gilbert sisters and put his hands behind his back. "Hey, good morning to you, Jenna. Alaric."

Jenna turned her attention to Elena and Emma. "It's okay I'm confused, right? Because we were not expecting you, like ever."

"Well, I got in late last night. The girls let me in." John explained to Jenna, who almost wasn't convinced.

"You know," Alaric injected. "I'm probably just going to take off." He eyed John and gave Elena and Emma uncertain looks before he made his way out of the house.

Jenna watched him leave. "I'm still confused here." she pointed out, hands placed on her hips.

"I decided to come back and stay for a while." John said, glancing at Elena.

Jenna immediately shook her head. "Not here, you're not." she fumed.

"Actually, you can't stop me from living here." John claimed.

"Actually, I can as legal guardian."

"Yeah, about that," John started, making Emma widen her eyes in realization of what John was getting at. "Elena, you want me to explain the situation, or would you like to do the honors?"

Jenna looked from John to the girls. "Okay, what's going on?"

Elena awkwardly scratched the side of her head. "I'm sorry, Jenna. I should have told you earlier but-"

"I'm Elena's biological father." John finished. "There. Now you know." And with that, he left.

Jenna scoffed and crossed her arms, the look of betrayal written across her face. "What?"

And for the next half hour, Elena did her best to explain the situation to Jenna, of course minus the vampires in the story. It was expected for Jenna to be angry, more like furious, to have such a huge secret to be hidden from her by the ones she called family. Jenna had to excuse herself and left the room to have some time to process what she heard.

Emma went over to Elena, who had sat at the dinning table with Jenna, and hugged her tightly. A knock at the door was heard, making Emma let go of Elena to answer it. When she opened the door, Damon pushed past her.

"Where's John?" he asked, looking around the the house.

Emma shrugged. "Don't know. He left after he dropped the bomb about being Elena's dad to Jenna."

Damon looked at Emma with a confused expression. "That's public knowledge now?"

Elena entered the hall. "Apparently." She looked down dejectedly and nodded when Damon asked if she was okay. "Jenna's head must be spinning right now, but I'm okay." she answered, drinking some coffee.

"He say what he was doing here?" Damon asked.

"No. You know, Stefan thinks that he's telling the truth about wanting to help me." Elena expressed, clearly doubting John would be much of a help.

"You believe him?" Damon inquired of Elena.

"No. I don't believe him for a second." she replied, setting the mug down.

"What do we do?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.

"Kill him."

Emma groaned at the only option Damon ever brings up. "Come on, Damon."

"I'm joking." Damon said, right when he made it to the front door. "Okay, I'm a little serious."

"Damon." Elena stressed, a look of disappointment on her face.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I won't hurt him. I'm supposed to be the good guy now, remember?"

Emma raised an intrigued eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"I will have a very civil conversation with John." Damon declared. He smiled at the girls and went out the door.

Emma glanced at Elena for a second and started to follow Damon. "There's no way I'm missing this." she said, grabbing her jacket and running after the vampire.

* * *

The trio made their first stop at The Grill to see if John was hiding there. And sure enough, there was John, bothering poo Jenna and Alaric on their lunch date.

Elena grabbed onto Damon's arm before he could walk over there. "Remember. We just need answers. Please don't do anything stupid." she pleaded.

Emma noticed John and Damon have some sort of staring contest.

"Yeah, but stupid is so much more fun." Damon protested, grinning proudly.

"Damon, seriously." Emma said. "Just keep it together. Be the better man." she asked.

Damon let out a groan of disappointment. "Okay, then." he said, before walking over. "John, buddy. How you been?" Damon greeted.

John smiled, looking down. "I've been all right, Damon. It's good to see you."

They smiled at each other for a little bit longer, which made this whole encounter more awkward. John had excused himself and began to light some candles for the memorial for the people who were killed by a vicious 'mountain lion'. Damon naturally followed him to have a one on one conversation.

Elena had been called over by a friend of hers from school and Jenna needed to use the restroom. Emma sat in the seat next to Alaric and picked a french fry off of Jenna's plate.

"So, clearly, I've been out of the loop. Care to explain to me why John is here?" Alaric asked, leaning closer to Emma with his arms folded on the table.

Emma finished chewing the french fry. "Well, as I'm sure you know, Stefan tried contacting Isobel but instead of bringing back her, he brought back John. He says he's here to protect Elena, but he won't tell us exactly how."

"And you guys trust him?"

Emma immediately shook her head. "Oh, god no. There's no way in hell that I believe one word he says."

Alaric chuckled and took a sip of his water. "Good. At least we're on the same page."

Emma nodded and looked over at Damon and John. Their talk was getting a little heated. She only hoped that Damon would keep his promise and not kill John, no matter how tempting it was. A moment passed by when the young girl's head began to pound like crazy. Emma brought a hand up to grasp her head as she whimpered in pain.

"Emma? Are you alright?" Alaric asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"M-my head. It hurts." Emma cried, squeezing her eyes shut.

Alaric reached and grabbed a glass of water that was on the table. "Here, drink this."

Emma grabbed it but once it was in her hand, she let out a gasp as the glass slipped out of her hands and shattered on the floor, the sound echoing in her ears.

 _Caroline was being dragged by her legs through the woods by a strange man. There was a bullet wound on her forehead. The man opened the door to a trailer and threw Caroline in a cage inside, locking it. As he stepped out of the trailer, he started talking to someone but the man's head was blocking the person's face. A few seconds passed and the man finally moved and revealed the other person to be Jules._

"Emma!"

Emma blinked multiple times to see Alaric's worried face in front of her.

"Are you okay? You blanked out for a second." Alaric informed her, beginning to clean up the water that spilled when Emma dropped the cup.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion until she realized that she had a vision. She shot up from her seat.

"I got to go." she said quickly and made her way over to Elena and Damon. "Guys, we have a problem." she said, just as Elena's phone rang.

"What's wrong now?" Damon asked, glancing over at the girl, but he was taken aback when he saw her wide eyes.

"Stefan?" Elena said through the receiver.

Emma quickly pointed at Elena. "Let me guess, Stefan. You're about to tell Elena that Caroline was taken by Jules." she said, knowing Stefan could hear her on the other line.

Elena gaped at Emma. "Is that true, Stefan?" she asked Stefan.

Damon turned to Emma. "How did you know?"

"I just had a vision of someone who's working with Jules lock Caroline up in a cage." Emma explained.

"Okay, I'll tell him." Elena said, hanging up the phone. "Let's take this somewhere else."

The three of them walked away from the crowded restaurant to the bathrooms in the back. Along the way, Elena had explained to Damon that Caroline had been talking to Tyler. After they made sure no one else was in the bathroom, Damon began complaining.

"Why am I just finding out about this now?"

"Stefan was worried that you-" Elena tired to explain but was interrupted.

"That I would what, I would kill him? Of course. That's what needs to happen." Damon finished, as if stating the obvious.

"Damon, not Tyler. Just get Caroline back and leave Tyler out of it." Emma ordered.

Damon dramatically rolled his eyes. "Why not? He's a werewolf and he needs to die. I'm willing to kill. It's a win-win."

"Please." Elena begged, grasping onto Damon's arms. "Too many people are dying."

"Why do you keep doing that?" Damon questioned, earning a confused look from Elena.

"Doing what?" she asked, letting go of him.

"Assuming that I'll play the good guy because it's you who's asking." Damon and Elena stared at each other for a while, which made Emma shift uncomfortably in place. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened to reveal John, much to everyone's displeasure.

"Do you mind?" Damon said to the oldest Gilbert.

"What's going on?" John asked, looking at the sisters.

"Nothing you need to worry about, John." Emma snapped, her tolerance of him lessening.

"Doesn't look like nothing."

"Well, guess what, John. Trust works both ways so get out." Damon demanded.

"Look, we don't have time for this. We need to save Caroline." Elena stated.

Damon shook his head. "We don't need to do anything. I'll take care of it." He turned to Emma. "Did you see where they took Caroline?"

"Not clearly, but it was somewhere in the woods. They have a beat down trailer where they're keeping her. I hope that helps." Emma replied.

"It's good enough." Damon turned around and poked John's chest. "First dad duty, ground your daughter. Keep her here." And he went out the door.

Emma knew better than to follow him but that didn't stop Elena. Though, John blocked her way.

"I'm going, too." Elena protested, but John wouldn't let her go.

"No, no, I'm with Damon on this one. Just tell me what's going on?" John asked, holding onto Elena.

She ignored him and he left the girls in the bathroom as we waited out side.

Emma lightly touched Elena's arm. "I know I usually side with you on stuff like this but I think we need to let Damon and Stefan handle the problem."

Elena was bewildered. "What?"

"We're dealing with angry werewolves who can instantly kill Caroline if things don't go their way. If we go, we won't be of help what's so ever." Emma stressed.

Elena scoffed and burst through the door and Emma followed her. They were both stopped by John, who was patiently waiting for them. Why won't he just go away?

"You two are not leaving this restaurant." he declared, arms crossed and everything.

"You can't tell me what to do." Elena pointed out, shaking her head.

John stepped forward. "Yes, I can. Want to know why? Because I'm here to make sure you stay safe."

"I've got that covered." Elena tried to leave again but John held out his arm.

"You mean the deal you made with Elijah? You really think he'll keep his promise? Putting your faith in him was a dumb move."

"Like we should put faith in you?" Emma injected, glaring up at the man. "After what you did to Stefan and Damon?"

"We've had our differences, and I've made mistakes, but we're family." John said.

Elena raised a finger up to John's face. "You don't get to use that word. That word is off limits to you."

John sighed. "Fine, but it doesn't change the facts."

Elena halfheartedly chuckled. "You're right. Facts are facts, so listen up. You may be my father, but I am never going to be your daughter. You got that?" She pulled down John's arm and walked away, leaving Emma with a stunned John.

Emma started to laugh which made John look at her confused. "She told you."

It wasn't long before Elena wanted to go back home, so the Gilbert sisters went back to their house. Emma was going upstairs when Elena stopped her.

"Hey, Em?" Emma turned around to see Elena pointing to her wrist. "Where's your vervain bracelet?"

Emma held up her wrist. "Oh, I realized John gave it to me so I threw it away."

Elena smiled but shook her head. "I can understand why you did that, but it's the only thing that will keep you safe from compulsion."

Emma shrugged. "I know, I was just going to find something else to use."

"Maybe you could use mom's necklace." Elena suggested.

"Really?"

Elena nodded and dragged Emma to first Emma's room to get the necklace and then Elena's. Elena set the locket, after opening it, down on her dresser and pulled open one of the drawers. She pulled out a vial of vervain in plant form and sprinkled a little bit over the picture of their parents and closed the locket. Elena raised it up and told Emma to turn around. She clipped it around Emma's neck and faced her towards her mirror.

"There, so mom's always with you." Elena said, squeezing Emma's shoulders. "I'll be right back, okay?" Emma nodded and Elena disappeared downstairs.

Emma grasped the locket as she stared at herself through the mirror. She wanted to avoid wearing it. As stupid as it sounded, it, in a way, made her parent's death final. Like the locket was supposed to be the only that represented their life. Emma brushed away the single tear that fell from Emma's eye and made the move to go downstairs when she saw John staring at her sorrowfully. She walked right past him and raced down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Elena and Stefan embracing each other.

"Oh, sorry. I'll come back." she said, backing up.

"Hold on, Emma. I may need you for something." Stefan said, letting go of Elena.

Stefan had explained how Caroline was really shaken up from the kidnapping and he thought it was a good idea for Elena, Bonnie and Emma to stay with her for the night, to make her feel better. And that is exactly what they did. They had the best girl's night ever, which let them escape the crazy supernatural world they lived in.


	23. The Dinner Party

Emma's head snapped up in an instant when she felt her head fall forward. With groggy eyes, she took a look around and saw the many scattered pages from the notebook she may or may not have taken from one of the desks downstairs. She spent another sleepless night searching every book she had and her phone for anything that could possibly stop the ritual that would kill her sister. Of course, everything led her to a dead end.

Emma let out a long lawn as she tossed the pen in her hand to the side. She carefully moved aside her research materials and got up from the bed. Keeping her pajamas on, she left the bedroom and moved to go down the hall when she bumped into Andy, who seemed to be on her way out from Damon's room.

"Oh, Emma. I didn't know you were here." Andy said, shifting her scarf uncomfortably. "You didn't hear anything la-"

Emma waved her hands frantically in front of her. "Ahh, please don't finish that sentence."

Andy nodded in agreement and pointed towards the stairs. "Well, I'm just going to go wait for Damon downstairs. See you later."

When she was out of sight, Emma silently gagged and made her way towards Damon's room. She pushed to door open and saw Damon on the phone, playing with the special dagger.

"Trust me, Stefan, I'm gonna dot all my T's. I don't want any surprises." he said, nodding his head at Emma. "Yes. Stefan, I've become you. How tragic for both of us." Emma rolled her eyes at his comment and leaned against the door. "Got to run. I've a murder to plan. Busy day." he said, hanging up the phone.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You're planning a murder?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Yup. Time to bring that annoying Original down." Damon replied, placing the dagger back in it's box.

Emma scoffed and followed Damon as he went downstairs. "Yeah, right. Like you said, he's an Original. How do you expect yourself to kill him by surprise?"

When they entered the living room, Andy was sitting patiently on one of the couches with her legs crossed. Damon shrugged and grabbed his leather jacket that was left on a couch. "That's why I'm coming up with a plan." He put the jacket on and tossed his car keys to Andy. "Warm up the car?" She smiled and happily went out the front door.

Emma sighed and used her index finger to pick at her cast. "Damon, I think that killing Elijah is not a good idea. I mean, you _were_ there last night." she pointed out, recalling how Elijah ripped out all the hearts of the werewolves.

"Yes, I was. Thank you. Now, hurry up and get ready." Damon ordered, pulling out his phone.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why should I?"

"So you can help with the plan?" Damon said, as if it was a known fact.

"Wait. You're actually letting me come along?" she asked, completely shocked. When Damon shook his head 'yes', Emma smiled brightly. "O-okay! I'll be right back." she said, running upstairs to change.

This was a first. Ever since she got involved with the supernatural, she was always pushed aside or restricted from helping out in anyway, even though she ended doing it anyways. But this was new and Emma wasn't even going to question it again. She was totally fine with it.

After she changed, Emma and Damon went to the car and the three of them, yes, Andy was there too, drove to The Grill to meet with Alaric. They sat down at a booth, with Alaric and Emma sitting on one side and Damon and Andy on the other. They ordered food and drinks an quickly went down to business.

"Other than the lecture on the history of Mystic Falls, did you get anything out of Elijah?" Damon asked, hand circling the rim of his glass.

Alaric sighed. "No, it was boring." He gave an annoyed smile. "Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming."

"You sounded jealous. Does he sound a bit jealous?" Damon commented, turning to Andy on his right.

She nodded in agreement. "Kinda do."

Emma quickly took a sip of her water, eyeing the news reporter. "Damon, not to be rude Andy, but I don't think it's wise to have her here? She isn't exactly, you know. . ." she trailed off, unsure how to finish her statement but was hopeful her point was made.

Damon pointed towards the older woman. "Her? She's been compelled not to divulge my secrets. Haven't you?" He put his arm around the woman and puckered his lips as Andy 'hummed' in reply.

Andy kissed Damon's waiting lips. "My lips are sealed."

Emma and Alaric shared uncomfortable looks.

"I just need the right opportunity." Damon continued, trying to think. Just then, Jenna and Elijah walked in the restaurant. "Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend." Alaric glanced over his shoulder to see the two walk in their direction. "Hi." Damon said, waving them over.

"Hey, guys." Jenna greeted.

"So, I hear you two had quite a meeting of historical minds today." Damon said.

Jenna adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Alaric let out a chuckle. "Well, as much as I'd love to continue this, I've got papers to grade." he lied, pulling out his wallet and tossing some money on the table.

"No, you know what? We should continue this." Andy suggested, resting a hand on Damon's. "Let's have a dinner party."

"Ooh, my girl. Full of good ideas." Damon said, loving the idea. "I'll be happy to host. Say tonight. Maybe?" Elijah cocked his head to the side.

"It's good for me. Jenna?" Andy asked.

Alaric stood to the left of Elijah with his arms behind his back, clearly not pleased with the conversation. Jenna had started to answer, but Alaric was quick to interrupt her.

"I don't know if tonight works-"

"I'm free." Jenna replied, smiling in triumph.

Elijah smirked. "It'd be a pleasure."

"Great." Damon said.

Emma, sensing a little bit of the awkwardness in the air, lifted her hand up. "I'm free to go as well."

"Uhh, Em, I think this is more of an adult type of dinner." Jenna explained, lightly patting her arm.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sorry, pipsqueak, we're going crazy tonight." Damon said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Emma scoffed, crossing her arms in anger. It was so good to be apart of everything. She had it and then it slipped through her fingers. After the party's time and place was established, Jenna took Emma home so that she could get ready. Jeremy was home but when he heard that Jenna was leaving and Emma was staying home, he made the young girl stay in her room because he was going to have someone over and didn't want her in the way. She really felt the sibling love when he shoved her into her room. Jenna had left sometime later, and to pass the time, Emma watched random YouTube videos. A video she was trying to watch took forever to load.

" _Promise me._ "

Emma's head turned quickly behind her, hearing what sounded like Elena's voice in her room. It certainly didn't come from the video she wanted to watch, but it couldn't have been Elena. She was up at the cabin with Stefan. Emma turned back to her laptop.

 _"Promise me you won't harm anyone that I love."_

Emma turned again to the sound of the voice, only this time, she found herself standing on a dirt road in the middle of the the woods. It was night and the sound of crickets filled the air.

"What?" she whispered, looking from side to side. She spun around to look behind her to see her family cabin, porch lights on and Stefan's car parked on the side.

She saw the front door broken down with Elena standing at the arch with a knife in her hand. There was a man on the porch, facing Elena.

"Elena?" she called out, walking towards the cabin. Elena didn't hear or acknowledge her, only seeing the man.

 _"Even if they've harmed you._ " Elena said to the man, holding out the knife.

Emma saw the man shake his head. " _I'm sorry, Elena._ " The voice was Elijah. " _I'm going to have to call your bluff_."

Elena's expression changed, and also the direction the knife was pointing. Emma wasn't liking the way things were going. She walked closer to the two, her left foot barely touching the first step of the porch when Elena stabbed herself in the stomach with the knife.

Emma's eyes widened as both Elijah and the girl yelled, "NO!"

Suddenly, the front door of the cabin was fixed and slammed shut. Emma shot forward, passing Elijah and grabbing the door handle.

"Elena!" she shouted, opening the door.

Only, when the door opened, Emma was met with the hallway of her home. Looking behind her, instead of seeing the dirt road and trees, she saw her bedroom. She had a vision. And a very unique one at that. Even though it was new, it still showed the girl the danger that was going to happen. She needed to go warn Damon before Elijah got to the boarding house. The only question was, how was she going to get there? Jeremy couldn't take her, with whoever is over at the Gilbert house. Alaric picked up Jenna to go to the dinner. . . which means Jenna's car is still in the driveway.

Emma went downstairs and turned to go to the kitchen when she saw the many candles that were placed around the living room. In front of the fireplace sat Jeremy and Bonnie. They both snapped their heads in her direction.

"Emma." Jeremy began, glaring at his sister. "I told you not to come down."

"Uh, sorry, I was just going to- what's going on here?" she asked, kind of stuck on the fact that the someone who was over was Bonnie.

Bonnie let out a short laugh. "I was just showing Jeremy some magic."

 _With all these candles?_ Emma thought in her head. "Okay, well, I was hungry. So, I'll be really quick." she said, pointing towards the kitchen.

Walking away, she went straight to the key holder that was on a wall and grabbed Jenna's car keys. It was a very very risky plan but what else was she supposed to do? Grabbing a granola bar, to keep up with appearances, she went back upstairs to her room and closed her bedroom door. Emma put the bar in her back pocket, since it did make her a little hungry, and opened her window. Peering down at the side of her house, she swung her left leg over and made sure her foot was on the roof before she ducked under the window and swung her other leg over. She used the wall for support as she sat on the roof and slowly slid to the edge. Emma grabbed the edge with both hands and looked over it to see a fairly big and thick bush below. She sighed, glancing quickly back to her window before she rolled off the roof. Now, she thought she would land somewhat good on the bush, but what she didn't expect was to bounce off the bush and land on the not so soft ground on her back.

Emma let out multiple coughs, trying to catch her breath from the landing. She groaned, rolling on her side and getting up slowly. As she stood, she winced from the piercing pain on her back. She brushed off the leaves on her arms and went to Jenna's car. Getting inside, she started it and put it in drive, remembering everything Jenna and everyone else who drove did. The hard part now was the actual driving. She did her best driving in her lane and not driving way too fast for a cop to pull her over, though she did get honked at for accidentally cutting off people.

Finally, she arrived at the boarding house, coming to an unpleasant jerked stop. She jumped out the car and burst through the front door. Emma had no idea where Damon was, so she ran to the dining room.

"Damon!" she yelled, only to stop abruptly upon seeing Jenna, Andy, Alaric, John, Damon and Elijah sitting at the long dining table.

"Emma?" Jenna asked sternly, setting her wine glass down. She saw the car keys in Emma's hand, only making her shock turn into anger. "Emma, why are the keys to my car in you hand?"

Emma's eyes were wide from seeing Elijah here instead of by the cabin. She shook her head and looked at the keys and then to Jenna.

"Uhh."

* * *

Jenna had taken Emma to the side and, boy, did she get it. If anyone ever thought Jenna wasn't the type of parent to yell at their kids, well, would be wrong. The final decision was that Emma was grounded for 2 weeks for stealing the car and driving it illegally. It would have been longer if Emma hadn't smooth talked Jenna since she had quite to drink. The two walked back into the dining room after their discussion.

"Well, I think it's time to go." Jenna announced, arms on her hips.

Andy stood up, glass in hand. "No, just stay for dessert. Please?" she pleaded, doing the puppy eyes.

Damon stood as well. "Yes, stay. Emma can just sit in the living room while we finish up." he suggested with a smile on his face.

Jenna bit her lip, looking from Emma to Elijah to Alaric. "Okay, we'll stay a little bit longer."

Andy cheered and clapped her hands, careful not to spill her wine. "I think it's time for the gentlemen to take their drinks in the study."

"I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company." Elijah commented, tossing his napkin onto his plate.

"I like you."

Elijah and Damon walked off to the study, leaving Alaric behind. Jenna gathered some plates and shoved them into John's hands.

"Here you are, gentleman, make yourself useful." she said. Emma tried to walk after Damon and Elijah, but was stopped by Jenna. "No, no, no. As part of your punishment, you have to help with dishes."

Emma groaned and took some plates to the kitchen so she could quickly get to Damon and tell him about what she saw. After she set the stuff in the sink, she made it back into the dining room to see Alaric and John having a not so pleasant conversation.

"-about your dead wife." John said, causing Alaric to grab him by the collar.

"You son of a bitch."

Emma ran forward and pushed herself between the men to keep them from killing each other. "Guys, please. Not here."

"She's right. There's no need for violence." John said, glaring at Alaric. "All I want is my ring back." He narrowed his eyes before walking off to the kitchen.

Emma watched him leave, but turned her attention to Alaric. "Ric, I have to tell you something."

Alaric looked at her but clearly wasn't focused on her completely. "What is it?"

"Okay, so before coming here, I had a vision." she said, making Alaric focus on her more. "Damon's plan to kill Elijah is not going to work."

"What happened?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know exactly what happens here but-"

Alaric's phone began to rang. When he answered, he was very confused. "Slow down. Slow down. Stefan?"

"What is he saying?" she whispered, eager to know what was happening. By the look on Alaric's face, Emma knew it was nothing good.

"We need to stop Damon." Alaric said, hanging up the phone and going to the study just as Andy came out of the kitchen.

Emma followed him, beckoning Andy to come as well. The three of them burst in the study just as Damon picked up the dagger.

"Gentlemen, we forgot about dessert." Alaric announced, pointing to the dining room.

Andy called for Elijah, who handed Damon his drink. Damon was pissed, glaring at Emma and Alaric as they stood next to him. Damon slapped Alaric on the shoulder and made faces to find out what was going on. Alaric pointed to the dagger and started to write something down on a paper. It read, 'The dagger with kill you if you use it.' Damon snarled and Emma tried her best to keep him calm. Made it back to the dining room where Andy was asking Elijah questions. Alaric was asked to get Andy's notepad as Damon sat at the end of the table and Emma sat next to Elijah.

"Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's uncle/father?" Damon questioned, hands folded together.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that." Elijah said.

"Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list."

"Damon." Emma warned, shaking her head in disappointment. Sure, she hated John as much as the next person but she doesn't want him dead.

"Ric, it's in the front pocket on the- you know what? Excuse me." Andy said, getting up to help Alaric.

John set his coffee mug down. "What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?"

"There's a few things we should probably get clear right now." Elijah began, Emma sensing anger in his tone. "I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again." he threatened, twirling a fork in his hand.

Emma unconsciously scooted away from Elijah on her seat, not having enjoyed his speech. Andy had waked back into the room.

"Okay, my first question is when you got here in Mystic-"

All of a sudden, Elijah screamed in pain as Alaric stabbed the dagger through Elijah's chair and his chest. Emma jumped out of her chair as Elijah groaned and struggled to breath at the same time his face turned gray. Alaric the dagger out and slammed it onto the table.

"Gt rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert." he told Damon, walking away while breathing heavily. Though, he did come back to help Damon carry Elijah down to the cellar. When they came back, Emma took the opportunity to finally speak to Damon.

"I have something important to tell you." she said.

Damon sighed as he started to pour himself another glass of bourbon. "Spill."

"I don't think that your plan will work well." she admitted, crossing her arms.

"You were just here, right?" Damon said, repeating what Emma had said earlier this morning. "He's dead and there's nothing he can do now."

Emma scoffed. "I have a vision of him with Elena at the cabin. Not dead."

Damon set his glass down and rose his eyebrows in confusion. "Excuse me? Are you saying he's not dead again?"

"Well, I saw trying to tell you that but you were so focused on killing him and then things went south when Alaric said you couldn't kill him."

"Wait." Damon interrupted, raising a finger. "What was he wearing?"

"Who?"

"Elijah. In your vision."

Emma thought for a moment. "Umm, I think exactly what. . . he's wearing. . . now." she finished, realizing something that Damon must have realized because they both ran down to the cellar and saw the cell door wide open. And Elijah gone.

Damon's phone rang and he answered with a sigh. "Right on time, Stefan." He put the call on speaker.

"Damon, he won't stay dead if the dagger doesn't remain in his chest." Stefan frantically warned.

"Kind of too late to tell me that, little brother. He's gone." Damon explained.

"Stefan!" Emma said. "You have to protect Elena. Elijah is on his way over to you guys."

"And I'll be there as fast as I can." Damon said, hanging up and going the the front of the house with the dagger in his hand. "I'll be back."

Emma nodded and went to the living room. She managed to avoid Jenna so that she didn't have to leave. It took an hour for Damon to come back with Stefan, Elena, and Elijah's dead body. The two vampires took him back down to the cellar with the dagger still in his chest. Elena and Emma followed behind and watched at they set him down. Stefan came over and wrapped his arm around Elena's shoulders. Damon began searching Elijah and found the moonstone in his jacket pocket.

"What do we have here?" he said, holding the stone up. "A little moonstone bar of soap. I'll hold on to this."

"So that's it?" Emma asked, looking up to everyone else.

"As long as we keep the dagger in there, then he stays dead." Elena said, staring down at Elijah. "Okay, well, goodnight." As Elena started to walk away, she stopped and turned back to them. "You know, you guys want me to fight, fine, I'll fight. But if we're gonna do this, you can't keep anything from me anymore. From this moment on, we're doing it my way."

The brother's nodded and Emma nodded, seeing as she kind of planned stuff with Damon behind Elena's back. Elena left and Emma went with her.

"And Em?" Elena continued when it was just the two of them. "If you get a vision of anything, you need to tell to me. I want to help you."

Emma nodded again. "I will. I promise." The girls held each other as they went upstairs to sleep, Elena going to Stefan's room and Emma going to the room she slept in last night.

Sitting on her bed, squishing some of her research paper, she pulled out her phone to see she got a text message. Opening the text, she saw that it was sent two days ago from Jared. She had no idea how she missed it and she quickly read it, only to be disappointed in what he wrote.

"If you didn't want to hang out, you should have just said it to my face instead of leading me on like this." he said in the text.

Emma tried to reply, but each time she pressed the send button, her phone kept showing the notification that he was no longer receiving texts from her. She groaned when she realized that she missed her date with Jared and now he hated her for it. If only she could explain to him what's been going on without scaring him away. She tossed her phone to the side and laid down in her bed, actually happy that school was tomorrow so she could speak to him, face to face.

* * *

 **And done. I hope you like the chapter, it was actually really fun and different to write. I kind of got a different vibe from it as I wrote in her vision because of the new way she saw it. I was watching the new episode of Teen Wolf on Sunday and saw how Lydia was transported to the school in her mind, even though she was still in Scott's house and I thought it would be really cool that something like that happened to Emma when she had a vision. I'm not sure I'm going to have her do this every time she has a vision, but please expect more of this type of vision in the future.**

 **So I would like to thank you guys for waiting for this update and again hope you liked it as much as I did. And I have to say that I start school in less than two weeks so updating will be a bit of a struggle. I'm going to be a senior so I have a bunch of AP classes and college to focus on (ewww). Please be patient. :)**

 **Anyways, I'll see you next time!3**


	24. The House Guest

Emma raced around the guest room she slept in at the boarding house looking for her missing left shoe. It was a Monday, meaning it was back to school where she had to sit in a classroom to listen to boring teachers for 8 long hours. And to make matters worse, she had to deal with Jared ignoring her and not answering her calls or texts because she may or may not have forgotten about their little date the Friday before. It was sad, really. A cute boy actually took an interest in her and because of her hectic life, she hardly paid attention to him.

She sighed in relief when she found the shoe and quickly slipped it on, grabbing her backpack and leaving the room. She went down the hallway and pounded her fist against Stefan's door.

"Elena! Hurry up. We're late." she said, her fist resting on the door.

"Almost ready." Elena replied through the door, a giggle following soon after.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "Stop goofing around. You can do that later!" she yelled, going down the hallway and down the stairs. She went around the banister and started to walk in the direction of the living room when she let out a gasp after seeing Damon pinning Elena against the wall. "Wait. Elena?"

"Emma!" Elena called, struggling against Damon's grip.

"How'd you get here so fast? I just talked to you upstairs." Emma informed, pointing above her to the second floor.

"What do you mean you just talked to me?" Elena asked, looking at the younger girl in disbelief. "That's impossible." she said, glancing at Damon only to see his conflicted face. "Katherine's in the tomb, right?"

Damon had begun to release his hold around Elena's neck when Stefan came up behind Emma.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked.

Elena pushed Damon away from her as she addressed Stefan. "I don't know. Is Katherine in the tomb or not?"

Stefan looked up above him before he vamped away. Emma watched as he left and when she looked back over to Damon and Elena, Elena had a smirk plastered on her face.

"Man, this is just too much fun." she said and vanished like Stefan did.

"Katherine?!" Emma shouted, eyes wide in shock.

Emma and Damon made quick eye contact before they sprinted to Stefan's room, seeing Katherine leaning lazily against the door frame and the real Elena rubbing her neck with Stefan next to her.

"What is she doing here?" Elena asked, anger evident in her tone.

Emma and Damon stepped further into the room to stand by Stefan's desk, sadly with Katherine following them.

"When we killed Elijah, it broke the compulsion and freed the bitch from the tomb." Damon explained, narrowing his eyes at the oldest vampire.

"How's that possible?" Stefan questioned.

Katherine picked up a quill from the desk and examined it. "He's an original. They have all sorts of special skills."

"I don't want you here. Get her out of here." Elena pleaded, pacing back in forth in fury.

"You need me, Elena. You all do." Katherine concluded, setting the quill down.

Emma scoffed. "And what makes you think we want you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Katherine looked at Emma over her shoulder with a glare. "We all want the same thing- Klaus dead. Yet here you all are, running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

Elena shook her head. "I don't want your help."

"And that's incredibly stupid of you. Do you know where Klaus is? When he's coming, what he looks like?"

Damon advanced towards Katherine. "If you know something, say it or get out."

Katherine shrugged. "Fine. Then I'll be at The Grill and have some lunch. Maybe Aunt Jenna's free for a bite." she said, arms crossed with a smug look on her face.

Emma clenched her fists. "Stay away from her."

Katherine chuckled. "Oh, Emma. Still little miss tough girl. Cute."

Emma glared hard at Katherine and unconsciously moved closer to her, but she was held back by Damon's extended arm in front of her.

A little later, Stefan decided that it was time for the three of them to head to school and let Damon deal with Katherine all day. Stefan drove them in his car and after he parked, they filed out of the car.

"Why is she still here?" Elena asked, pushing her chair forward to let Emma out after she stepped out of the car.

"She wants what we want- Klaus dead." Stefan began, slamming his door shut. "Maybe she sees us as her only chance."

Emma rolled her eyes as she adjusted her backpack. "Should we really be surprised if she uses us? It's who she is."

Elena nodded. "Who she is is what worries me. She could be trying to lure you and Damon back into her web. I want her gone."

"So do I." Stefan agreed, rubbing Elena's back.

As the trio began to walk towards the school building, Emma saw Jared walking alone across the lawn. She excused herself and ran over to him, calling his name. He glanced back at her but kept on walking.

"Jared." she said, pulling on his arm to stop him. He turned to her, a look of annoyance on his face. "Listen, I want to apologize-"

Jared was quick to interrupt her. "You don't have to apologize. I get it."

Emma shook her head. "No, Jared, it's just that I've been so busy."

"I know, that's what you always say. It's family stuff this and family stuff that. I don't know if it's true or not but I'm tired of hearing the same thing over and over again." Jared explained, one hand holding onto the strap of his backpack.

"I-It is family stuff and I wish I could tell you but I can't, trust me. " Jared rolled his eyes at her statement, causing Emma to panic on inside with the fear that she was losing him. "Please, let me make it up to you."

"Really? How? By setting up a date and bailing on me?" he asked.

"Tonight at The Grill. There's going to be a live band, dancing, obviously food. And on things is for sure is that I am 1,000% free tonight. So, if you are willing to give me a fourth chance, you know where to find me." Emma said.

Jared was silent for a moment as Emma waited for him to respond.

"A thousand percent?" he asked, a small smile forming on his face.

"I can make it more if you want." Emma replied, a smile of her own forming as well.

Jared nodded. "Okay, I'll think about it. See you in class." he said, walking away from the young girl with a wave.

Once Jared was an acceptable distance away, Emma pumped her fists in the air while whispering "yes" in triumph. She thought for sure he was going to turn her down and never speak to her again. All she had to do was make sure that there was nothing that could possibly ruin the last chance Jared gave her. Emma turned to make her way over to her first period class only to see Elena and Stefan smirking in her direction. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment realizing Stefan heard every word she said and told Elena. She shielded her face and continued on.

She entered the building and went to her locker to take out the history book she needed for later. As she closed the door, she looked over and saw Jeremy and Bonnie exchange a few words before the witch walked away. Emma shuffled her way over to Jeremy as he watched Bonnie leave.

She leaned against the lockers next to him. "So, what's going on with you and Bonnie?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

Jeremy shook his head. "Nothing is going on."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Really? Didn't seem like it was nothing yesterday." she teased, smiling knowing that she got him.

"Really, Emma. There's nothing." he said, before leaving in Bonnie's direction.

Emma rolled her eyes in annoyance. _Why couldn't he just admit that he and Bonnie had the hots for each other? It would be much easier than keeping it a secret_ , Emma thought. She pushed herself off the lockers and made her way to her classes.

The rest of the day went well for the young Gilbert. Her algebra teacher had handed back everyone's test and she got a 'A', which made the day even better. All the other classes were plain and simple as always, so there wasn't any surprises thrown at her by her teachers. Everything was going great until the end of the day, when she went to the parking lot and saw Stefan's car gone.

Emma let out a loud groan. Of course they forgot her. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, calling Damon.

" _Hello_?"

Emma raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Katherine?"

" _Oh, if it isn't little miss Emma Gilbert. What do you want?_ " Emma could practically hear Katherine's smirk through the receiver.

"The better question is why do you have Damon's phone?" Emma asked, her arms half crossed.

" _His phone was just laying around and I was bored._ "

Emma faked a laugh. "Wow, great story. Give the phone to Damon. I need to ask him something."

" _Well, he's busy researching stuff. How about you ask me._ "

"I'm sorry? Is this still Katherine I'm talking to?"

Katherine chuckled on the other line. " _Come on, Emma. Let me guess. You need help with history? Science?_ " Katherine gasped. " _Is it a boy_?"

Emma closed her eyes and pinched her forehead. "Oh, my god. Damon, I know you can hear me over there. Please take the phone from her." Honestly, she had no idea why he didn't just take the phone from her in the first place.

There was some shuffling before Damon's voice hit Emma's ear. " _What_?" he said.

"Thanks for letting me have the most awkward and uncomfortable conversation of my life."

" _No problem. I've been trapped in this house with her all day, having to hear her complaining. I wanted you to experience it, too._ " Damon said.

Emma sighed. "Yeah, I appreciate it. Listen, I'm cashing in another free ride you owe me."

Damon groaned loudly and she could tell he was rolling his eyes. " _You have legs. Use them._ "

"But Damon, you have t-"

" _I don't have to do anything. Unless you want me to let queen bitch over here run loose and hurt people because I am a-okay with alternative_." Emma stayed silent. " _That's what I thought. Have fun walking._ "

Emma smashed her thumb on the end button so hard it turned red from the pressure. Just once, she wished Damon would stop being such a jerk. But no, he always had to be himself all the time. Putting her phone away, Emma began to walk home which took twice as long as if she was driven there. By the time she made it home, Jenna had just made as well.

"Emma? Are you just getting home?" Jenna asked, putting her work bag on her shoulder.

"Yup, I just wanted to enjoy the, um, fresh air." Emma said, opening the front door.

The two entered the kitchen to see Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline all gathered around the kitchen island.

"What's going on?" Jenna asked, setting her things down.

Elena smiled as she settled in one of the bar chairs. "Oh, it's girl's night."

Jenna let out an 'oh' and looked down lost in thought. Elena and Emma glanced at each other. Nothing sucked more than seeing their aunt in pain.

"How are you doing?" Elena asked.

"You heard about my fight with Ric." Jenna concluded, a hint of annoyance laced in her words.

"If it makes you feel any better, he feels terrible." Emma said, walking over to the snacks on the island and taking a bite of the chips.

"Is this some kind of disguised attempt to cheer me up?" Jenna asked, gesturing to the set up in front of her.

Elena shook her head. "No. No, this is about us girls hanging out. And, you know, we'll be here if you happen to want to talk, or. . ."

"Because I am a winner when it comes to successful relationships." Caroline said with her hand raised.

"You, too?" Jenna asked.

Caroline nodded sadly. "You have no idea."

Jenna sighed. "Okay, then. It's this whole Isobel thing." She began, opening the fridge to take out a beer. "He's hiding something from me."

"To play devil's advocate, maybe there is a great reason why he's not telling you. Maybe he is just trying to protect you." Caroline reasoned.

Everyone else nodded along, but Jenna remained unconvinced. "Well, that's not his call to make. I mean, I deserve the truth. Everybody does."

"Sometimes. . . it's harder than that." Emma admitted, earning a look from Jenna.

"Not if it's somebody you care about, it isn't." Jenna said, taking a sip of her beer.

There was a moment of silence before Elena decided to break it.

"Alright, _we_ may not be that great when it comes to relationships, but I know someone here who's doing great in that department. She even has a special date tonight." she said, pointing towards Emma.

The other three girls looked at Emma with surprised faces.

"Wow, Emma. Who's the lucky guy?" Bonnie asked, smiling knowingly.

Emma's face turned crimson. "Thanks, Elena. Um, it's this boy that goes to our school. I doubt you would know him."

"It's the one that talked to her when we were setting up for the carnival." Elena informed.

"Elena!" Emma whined in embarrassment. This is exactly what she needed at the moment.

"Omg, Emma, this is perfect. Where is it? What are you going to wear?" Caroline questioned.

"It's at The Grill and I was planning to just wear this." Emma answered, pointing to her jeans and plain white t-shirt.

Jenna's mouth fell open in shock. "You are not wearing that to your first date." Emma began to speak in protest but Jenna was quick to silence her. "No 'buts'. Now, we are going to help you pick out your outfit. Something not too fancy but not too casual. Right, girls?"

The others nodded their heads in agreement. Emma groaned as she was dragged up to her bedroom to be a dress-up doll.

* * *

On the bright side, she didn't have to wear a dress or skirt. The four older girls let Emma wear black skinny jeans, a blue tank top with hints of glitter, and Elena's leather jacket. At least this was something she could be comfortable in. The only thing that she couldn't stop them from doing was putting makeup on her. It wasn't that she hated makeup, she just didn't like having so much on like other girls. Thankfully, they only put a light coat of makeup on her so she wan't too overwhelmed. And finally, to complete her look, her long brown hair was done into subtle curls. Emma did have to admit they did a good job.

The five of them entered the crowded restaurant as the music from the live band flooded their ears. Emma tried her best to follow the others through the crowd so she didn't get lost. They stopped in the middle of the area, a clear view of the band from where they stood. Emma looked around The Grill, in hopes to see that Jared actually trusted her, only to see her wasn't there. Disappointment made her head hang down as she felt her eyes swell with tears.

Elena bumped Emma's arm and pointed towards one of the booths in a distance. "Hey, isn't that him?" she shouted over the music.

Emma's head snapped up and she saw Jared sitting at a booth with a glass of water in front of him. _He really came_. She suddenly grew nervous and took a step back.

"Elena, I don't know. What if he just came to say he doesn't like me anymore?" she asked, wrapping her arms around her middle.

Elena chuckled and placed her hands on either side of Emma. "He's not going to say that, I promise. Now, go." Elena said, giving Emma a gentle push.

Emma let out a shaky breath and walked over to Jared, feeling a bit more confident. She stopped at the end of the table and smiled.

"Hey, you got here before me." she said, causing Jared to look up from his hands.

He laughed as a smile formed on his face. "Well, I just wanted to make sure we got a table." Emma slid into the booth. "And I wanted to see if you were really going to come."

Emma gave him a sad smile. "Again, I'm really sorry about that. But let's forget about that and enjoy tonight. Okay?"

Jared nodded and handed her one of the menus that was brought over. A waiter came over and took their order. As they waited for the food to come, they asked each other random questions. Emma learned that his favorite color was blue and that he loved horror movies.

"What do you mean you don't like horror movies?" Jared asked, a shocked look on his face.

Emma shrugged and laughed at his facial expression. "I don't know. I _hate_ the suspense we have to go through and I hate when the characters do the stupid things they shouldn't do like go down to the basement where one of their friends literally just died in front of them." She reached forward and grabbed her water glass, taking a sip. It was really ironic she said that considering her whole life was a horror movie on constant replay.

"Come on! That's the best part." Jared explained. He let out a sigh. "It's alright. I can live with not watching a horror movie on our dates."

Emma set the glass down slowly as a blush crept up on her face. "On our dates? You mean we're going to have more?"

Jared blushed as well. "Oh, um, yeah. If that's alright with you." His left hand reached out across the table and touched her hand. "Maybe as my girlfriend?"

Emma knew her face was as red as a stoplight now. Her mind couldn't form any words so all she could do was nod her head yes. They shared a smile as their food was being set on the table.

"Hey, everybody!"

Emma looked over at the stage and saw Caroline at the microphone. "Oh, my gosh, Caroline?"

"Let's hear it for the band! Weren't they awesome?" Caroline said as she and the crowd clapped. "So there's this guy," she began, "And, uh, he told me to tell him how I feel about him." Emma searched the restaurant to see Matt standing in his uniform, watching Caroline. "Like it's that easy. Um, you know, just 'cause I talk a lot doesn't mean I always know what I'm actually talking about. Ah, like now, I'm feeling loopy and I don't really know how to express myself." The lead singer of the band reached over to grab the microphone but Caroline snatched it back. "I can sing! Yeah. You know what, I'm going to sing."

Emma raised her eyebrows in curiosity. She's known Caroline all her life and she'd never heard Caroline sing before. Caroline spoke to the singer and the band started playing the instruments.

" _Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'. Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand?"_ Caroline sang, staring straight at Matt. Emma nodded her head along and smiled, happy that Caroline was fighting to have him back.

" _Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame? I believe it's meant to be, darlin'. I watch you when you are sleeping. You belong with me. Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame?_ " Matt made his way through the crowd and up the stage, stopping Caroline from singing. "Matt, I-" Matt interrupted her as he kissed her in front of everyone.

Emma, along with everyone in The Grill, clapped and cheered for the happy couple. She was looking around at the crowd when, for some reason, her gaze zoned in on the fireplace. The crackling of the wood echoed in her ears. Her muscles tightened as the multiple screams faded in with the crackling, getting louder and louder as the fire violently snapped back and forth. Emma began to hyperventilate as the noise started to become unbearable.

"Emma." Her head snapped in Jared's direction to see him smiling at her. "Wow, she was great wasn't she?" he said.

The young Gilbert glanced over at Matt and Caroline happily hugging each other and everyone else clapping for them. No one was screaming, at least not in fear.

Jared frowned. "Hey, are you okay?"

Emma swallowed nervously. "Y-yeah. I need to use the bathroom. Be right back." she said and scooted out the booth.

She pushed people aside as she walked up to Bonnie. "Bon, we have a problem."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "What? What did you see?"

"It was more of what I heard. Something bad is going to happen here." she answered. Upon seeing Jonas, Luka's father, walk in, she saw why. "And I think it's Jonas bad." she said, pointing at the old witch. "Stall him and I'll try looking for Elena." Emma said, breaking away from Bonnie.

Emma tried to spot Elena in the crowd but didn't see her so she headed for the bathrooms instead. Though, as she walking, many of the light bulbs on the ceilings and tables exploded, causing the whole restaurant to loose its lighting. Emma burst into the bathroom to see Elena, Stefan, and Caroline together.

"Guys, Jonas is here and he does not look happy." she informed.

Elena nodded. "Okay, we have a plan. Emma, I want you to get out of here with Jared. I'm sure Alaric has Jenna. Go home and wait for my text."

The youngest Gilbert gave a thumbs up as she pushed opened the bathroom door and made her way back to the main area only to see it in flames. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Bonnie and Jonas. He had grabbed the sides of her head and made Bonnie drop to the floor.

"Bonnie!" she screamed, running over to the witch. By the time she got there, Jonas was already on the other side of the restaurant. "Bonnie." She tried her best to lift Bonnie up and thanks to Matt's help, they both guided her towards the exit.

"Emma!" Emma looked behind her to see Jared running to her, arm over his face as he coughed into it from the smoke.

"Jared, we have to get out of here. Come on." she said, reaching out and grabbing his arm.

Bonnie had come back to consciousness, so it was easier for them to leave, though Matt had ran back inside. Emma whispered to Bonnie what Elena had told her and Bonnie pulled out her car keys.

"Take care of him." the witch whispered, eyes on Jared.

Emma nodded and pulled Jared aside as people ran passed them. "Jared, are you okay?"

"Yeah, more importantly, are you okay? You were the closest to the fire." he asked, watching as the light from the fire began to show through the windows.

"I'm fine. Listen, Bonnie's going to give me a ride home so I need to go now." she said, the sound of firetrucks in the distance.

"It's all good. Go. And even though the night ended like this, it was still one to remember." he said, causing Emma to smile. She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before running over to Bonnie's car.

* * *

The two girls pulled up in front of the Gilbert house and went inside. During their journey there, Emma received a text from Elena about the plan. She and Katherine were going to switch clothes so that they could trick Jonas into believing Katherine was Elena. With that, Elena would be safe and Katherine can handle Jonas with her vampire powers.

Of course Jeremy was home, so she left them alone in the kitchen as they waited for Katherine and Stefan to come to the house. When they arrived, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Emma met them at the door.

"It's not over yet." Katherine said, acting like Elena, which Emma had to admit Katherine was pretty good. She tossed Elena's jacket on the railing and ran up the stairs.

"When did you guys get home?" Stefan asked, looking up at the next floor.

"A few minutes ago." Emma answered, arms crossed over her chest.

"And did you search the house?"

"Why would we check the house?" Jeremy asked, already knowing the plan.

The three of them remained silent as they waited for some kind of activity upstairs. Sure enough, the sound of screaming was heard, so Stefan, Bonnie and Emma sprinted up to the bathroom to see Jonas on the floor dead and Katherine leaning smugly against the counter with blood on her face.

"You're welcome." The vampire said, brushing aside stray hairs from her face.

Bonnie stepped over Jonas' body and knelt next to him. "You didn't have to kill him."

"Yes, we did." Katherine answered.

Bonnie sadly looked down at the man. She moved her hand to close his eyes, only to have him spring up and grab her head. Bonnie yelled as she tried to pry him off. To stop him, Stefan snapped Jonas' head and he fell limp to the floor.

* * *

Emma had gone downstairs to wait for Stefan and Katherine to clean up the mess upstairs. As she waited, Damon entered the house with Elena behind him. Emma went over and tightly hugged Elena.

"How did you guys even convince her to do this?" Emma asked Damon as she broke away from the hug.

"We didn't. It was actually her idea." he replied, checking the house out of precaution.

"Wow, that's not good." Elena commented, crossing her arms.

Damon nodded in agreement. "No. No, that's not good at all."

"Everything's taken care off." Stefan said, descending down the stairs with Katherine behind him.

Katherine grabbed onto Elena's locket and ripped it off her neck. "I'm guessing you're going to want this back. But your pretty little outfit is going to need a good dry clean."

Elena snatched the necklace from Katherine's hands. "You're going to have to get her out of here before Jenna gets home." Elena told Stefan.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Katherine sneered, eyes glaring at her doppelganger.

"This doesn't change the way I feel about you." Elena said.

Katherine smirked. "I don't much like you, either, if we're going to be open. And frankly, I'd be happy to see you dead, but if we're going to try to take on Klaus, we kinda need you to be alive. So I'm not a threat to you, Elena. If any of you are going to believe anything, believe that."

Elena continued to glare at Katherine, even after the front door opened. As the sisters watched Jenna enter the house, the three vampires vanished before their aunt could see them.

"Hey, you made it home." Elena greeted, putting her locket on.

"Tonight was very weird." Jenna said, walking past the girls to the kitchen.

The girls nodded. "Tell me about it." Emma said, following the older woman. "After tonight, I think we need some ice cream."

Jenna laughed at that. "Right you are, Missy." She grabbed the tub out of the freezer and slid it onto the island as Elena and Emma sat on the bar seats with spoons ready. "Are John and Jeremy asleep?"

"I think so." Elena answered, digging into the ice cream.

"If I were to go to bed, right now, there's a chance I'll wake up hangover-free." Jenna said, lost in the possibility.

Emma chuckled as she got a spoonful of ice cream as well. Just then, the doorbell rang, confusing the Gilberts.

"Who's that?" Jenna questioned, getting up and going to the door.

Emma kind of brushed it aside but Elena didn't seem to like the idea of someone ringing the doorbell so late at night. Emma followed behind Elena as they watched Jenna open the front door.

"Hi. You must be Jenna." the voice said, and when Emma saw who it belonged to, she found her deep hatred for the person resurface. "I'm Elena's mother."

"Isobel." Elena hissed. Jenna looked back at the girls and then at Isobel, the look of betrayal written on her face.

 _This day just keeps on getting better and better,_ Emma thought, glaring at Isobel.

* * *

 **And that was it! And surprisingly, I was able to make this chapter longer than my recent ones so yay me for managing that!**

 **Yikes, can we talk about Katherine? Emma haaatteeesss her to her core. I really want to keep it this way. Kind of how she was with Damon in the beginning but her feelings will never change towards the vampire. Idk, what are your thoughts with Emma's relationship with Katherine?**

 **Now, I have a quick questions for you lovely readers. How do you guys feel about Jared? I'm only asking just in case you all don't like him or you find him annoying. I don't want to have him in if he just ruins the story for you. So, please, tell me how you feel about him.**

 **Oh, but don't forget to comment your thoughts on the chapter! I love hearing feed back guys. It would be nice to see something more that just "Pls update!". I really want to know how you felt about the chapters. It would help me improve my writing skills so that I can make sure you all are satisfied with what you're reading! Till the next update!**


	25. Know Thy Enemy

Jenna continued to stare at the two girls with her mouth opened in shock. Emma looked from Jenna and Isobel to see the vampire focused on Elena, a fake soft smile on her face.

"Hello, girls. It's nice to see you again." Isobel said, causing Jenna to turn her attention to her.

"Again?" Jenna asked when the Gilbert sisters got closer to the door.

Elena opened her mouth as if to explain but she couldn't get one word out.

"So you're the woman who's dating my husband. I need to speak to Elena. May I come in?" Isobel asked.

"No!" Emma shouted, before Jenna even thought to say anything.

"Don't invite her in." Elena said, glaring at the vampire.

"I need to talk to you, Elena." Isobel said.

Elena glared at the woman. "No." she said, closing the door on Isobel's face. Both Gilbert girls looked to their aunt to see her in tears.

"You guys knew she was still alive?" The girls said nothing. Jenna nodded. "Rick? John? Did they know?" she asked, anger laced in her words.

"I can explain everything, Jenna." Elena began, but Jenna turned and ran up the stairs. "No, Jenna. Please wait." Elena called out, chasing after her.

Emma made the move to follow them, but stopped mid step. Even though they were both in the wrong for keeping Isobel a secret from Jenna, Emma felt that it wasn't her place to explain everything to Jenna. She jumped at the sound of Jenna's bedroom door slamming and then she heard Elena's pleas. All Emma could do was sit on the stairs with her head in her hands.

* * *

The following morning, Elena had called Alaric over to the house, to sort of corner Jenna to speak with her. Emma was against it, wanting to give Jenna some more time to process everything and not feel ganged up on, but Elena had done it anyways.

Upon hearing the doorbell, Emma rushed over from the kitchen and opened it to let Alaric in.

"Hey, is she up yet?" he asked, stepping inside.

Emma sighed. "She hasn't come out of her room since last night."

"What'd you tell her?"

"I haven't tried talking to her, but she's been ignoring Elena." she explained, shutting the door behind her.

Alaric stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. "We're gonna have to fix this." Emma nodded in agreement.

Just as Elena had joined the two, Jenna made her way downstairs. They greeted her, but she went straight for the front door.

"I don't want you here, Rick. You need to go."

"Okay, listen. I can't begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now." Alaric said.

Jenna set down her bag and turned to face the trio. "Rage and betrayal would pretty much cover it." She went to the closet and pulled out her jacket.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked, her arms crossed in front of her.

"I'm going to stay on campus. I have this thesis to write, and I don't want to be in this house." she said, putting the jacket on and picking up her bags.

"Jenna, please just stop." Alaric pleaded. "Let us explain to you exactly what is going on."

"Elena," Jenna said, ignoring Alaric. "I need you to go to the Lockwood's' today and accept the historical society's check for your mom's foundation."

Elena nodded. "Okay, but, Jenna, please just-"

Jenna threw open the front door. "I don't have it in me to hear any more lies from you." she said, slamming the door shut.

"Jenna!" Emma called out, and they three made to move to follow her.

"Let her go."

They turned around to see John causally enter the hallway from the kitchen.

"It's better that she's not here, what with everything that's going on. But maybe had you been a little more honest with her from the beginning, this-" And before John could finish his unnecessary speech, Alaric had punched him right in the face, leaving Elena and Emma in shock. John staggered back and wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve.

"Sorry." Alaric said, before leaving the Gilbert house.

Elena chuckled and looked over at John. "You know this is your fault, right?"

"Right." John said and he watched as Elena went upstairs.

Emma backed up slowly and went upstairs as well, not wanting to speak to John at all. She had stayed in her room for awhile, seeing Stefan go to Elena's room and then John doing the same. Emma decided to not get into it and let them handle it. She looked around her room and felt her pockets to then realize she left her phone downstairs. As she rounded the banister and headed towards the kitchen, she abruptly stopped when she saw someone blocking her way.

"How the hell did you get in here?" she sneered, her muscles tensing.

"Hello to you too, Emma." Isobel greet, a lazy smile plastered on her face.

"Elena! Stefan!" Emma shouted, stepping away from Isobel.

When Elena and Stefan made it to hall, John with them, Elena immediately became angry.

"I asked John for a do-over." Isobel explained.

Elena turned to John and pointed to the unwanted vampire. "You invited her in?"

John crossed his arms. "She has information about Klaus. Please, just listen to her, okay?"

Emma, Stefan, and Elena looked at each other and Stefan nodded, leading everyone to the dinning table. After everyone was situated, Isobel began.

"Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus. We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you." she said.

"Best chance at what?" Stefan questioned.

"To keep Elena alive." John answered.

"You don't get to talk, okay, not after everything you've done." Elena snapped, earning a worried glance from Emma.

"Were you able to find Klaus?" Stefan asked, hands on his hips.

"No. Nobody knows where he is, but there are these rumors that are flying around that a doppelganger exists." Isobel said.

"Which means any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture you." John finished.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes at John and Isobel.

"Because, Emma, I care about Elena's safety." Isobel clarified.

"Really? The last time you were here, you made it pretty clear that you didn't give a damn about me. Now, I'm supposed to believe that you want to help?" Elena reminded.

"She's been helping all along." John said.

Emma scoffed. "And kidnapping Jeremy and I counts as helping?"

"Is it too late to apologize?" Isobel asked, causing Emma to look at the woman skeptically.

"Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive, and it would bring him straight here to mystic falls, where you were bound to be discovered, so we killed them." John stated.

"And almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process." Elena pointed out.

Isobel stood from her seat. "I have a safe house that I can take you to. The deed is in your name. No vampires can get in without your permission, not even me. Let me help you."

It was obvious to Emma that Elena was thrown off from what Isobel said. "You wanna help? Then get the hell out of my house." Elena demanded.

Isobel seemed thrown off and looked over at John had a small smirk on his face. The vampire nodded. "Okay. If that's what you want." she said, clasping her hands behind her back and heading out the door as the rest's eyes followed her retreating figure in silence.

* * *

"Do you really thin that Isobel's telling the truth that word;s gotten out about the doppelganger?" Elena asked, sitting on the couch in the library of the boarding house.

Emma shrugged from her spot next to Elena. "Well, if Elijah knows about you, there could be a chance."

"Agreed. I don't trust a word that she says, but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning." Stefan commented.

Damon stared up at the ceiling as he lounged on the love seat couch. "You should just stay here." He lazily turned his head towards Elena. "It's better for us to keep an eye on you."

Stefan shook his head. "What, in the house that any vampire can enter? No. Their house is safer."

"Then we'll stay there." Damon suggested.

Emma inhaled sharply. "Yeah, I'd rather you stay over here." she said, earning a glare from Damon.

"So is that the plan? Neither of you will let me out of your sight again?" Elena asked, obviously looking a bit annoyed.

Damon rested and arm behind his head. "Let me know when you come up with a better one."

Elena sighed. "Fine. Then one of you two bodyguards is gonna have to come with me to the Lockwood luncheon."

Stefan smiled at the doppelganger. "That'd be me."

"Not me. I have witch stuff to attend to with Bonnie." Damon announced.

"Correction, with Bonnie and me." Emma said, using her index finger to point at herself.

"And what significance would it be having you come along?" Damon questioned.

"Well, I still have you as my chauffeur and my next destination just so happens to be at the-" She would have finished her sentence if it wasn't for Damon silencing her all of a sudden, leaving the poor girl confused.

"Don't get quiet on my account." A voice said behind the girl.

Emma turned around to see Katherine entering the library.

"If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell." Katherine insisted, leaning against the table behind the couch. The others rolled their eyes and removed their gazes from the older vampire. "Seriously," she continued, "what is the plan to get us out of this mess, hmm?"

Stefan and Damon glanced at each other.

"I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and the dagger to lure and kill Klaus, and right now all you have is a moonstone. Or so you tell me." she informed.

"Oh, we have it." Emma said, clutching a pillow to her chest.

"Really? Then where is it?"

Damon chuckled. "It's in a very safe place."

Katherine began to become aggravated. "I've been honest with you. Time to return the favor."

"Let me be honest with you." Injected Damon. "Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust."

Katherine crossed her arms. "Fine. Be that way." she said and, with that, she left the room.

Damon whistled, gaining Emma's attention. "Ready for a hike, pipsqueak?"

* * *

"This doesn't count, you know. Since we're walking." Emma mentioned, stepping over a bugling tree root.

Damon had driven Emma partially to a secluded area of the woods where they had met up with Bonnie and Jeremy and began their journey to the sight where the old witches were burned.

"I drove you close to here, not my fault that we need to walk for a little bit." Damon said.

Emma rolled her eyes and fell into step with Jeremy. "So, is this the spot Emily Bennett was killed, too?" she asked.

"Founders thought is was poetic burning her where the other witches burned." Damon explained.

"How do you know where the witches were burned?" Bonnie asked.

"Because I tried to save her." Damon said. "Emily was just my key to getting Katherine back before I knew what a nasty little bitch Katherine was." Jeremy let out a chuckle because of Damon's comment.

The quartet continued on in a peaceful silence, the only noise heard was the chirping of the birds above and the crunching of the leaves beneath their feet. It wasn't long before Emma could see an abandoned old fashion house covered with over grown plants and vines in the distance. Damon hummed.

"You're sure it's the right place?" Jeremy asked, hands in his coat pockets.

Damon answered with a slight nod. They continued the short distance that was left to the house and Damon opened the front door. As they entered the house, Emma was over whelmed with the intense feeling of multiple presences around her, not including Jeremy, Bonnie, and Damon. They ventured deeper into the home, but when Damon tried to come back across the room, an invisible wall stopped him, trapping him in the sunlight.

He laughed. "Whatever witchy prank you're playing, don't. It's not funny." he said to Bonnie.

The witch shrugged. "I'm not doing anything."

Damon faked a smile. "I can't move." he said.

Emma reached out, grabbed his arm, and tugged towards her with all her might, but Damon didn't even stumble. When she let go, a sizzling sound came to and Damon's face began to burn.

"Ah!" he cried out, his voice laced with pain as he said, "Oh, my ring's not working."

"What?!" Emma exclaimed. She quickly looked over at Bonnie and Jeremy. "What do we do? How do we stop this?"

Bonnie took a deep breath and closed her eyes in concentration. Damon continued to grunt in pain before he was able to lean forward and out of the ray of sunlight.

"I don't think the witches like you being here." Bonnie said.

"I guess this is the right place." Jeremy commented, setting his gaze on Damon.

Damon pointed towards the door. "I'm going to wait outside." he said, and left.

Emma looked around herself, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable. "You guys don't need me, right?" Without waiting for an answer, she left the two and joined the vampire outside.

"Don't tell me, you got scared." Damon pointed out, quickly glancing at the young Gilbert as she stood beside him.

She scoffed. "I'm not scared, I just don't like the feeling in there. It's like the witches are standing next to me and breathing down my neck." she explained, a shiver running down her back at the thought.

"Yup, scaredy cat."

She punched his arm. "Shut up. It's weird, I feel this weird connection with this place."

Damon's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Really. Could it be that-" He thought for a second. "Never mind."

"What?" she questioned.

"What if you're about to see what happened here and that's why you feel people around you?"

She's never seen the past before, only the future. She had no idea if it was even possible to do that since seers were known to see the future. Emma shrugged. "I have no idea."

Damon grabbed her wrist and dragged her to one of the pillars in front of the house. "Well, how about we try it?"

Emma tried tugging her arm back. "Damon, I don't think-"

"Come on. It wouldn't hurt to-"

"But I really-"

"-try it out." Damon said, as he pressed her hand down on the wood.

"Da-" Emma let out a loud gasp as the scene around her completely changed.

It was no longer mid afternoon but midnight, with the full moon shining high above. Damon vanished from her side and she took note that the house was brought back to it's former glory, unchipped walls and the vines gone. She heard shouting behind her and turned to see two rows of four women, wearing 19th century outfits, tied to long pieces of wood. She assumed they were the witches. A large crowd of people, mixed with men, women, and children stood circling around those who were tied, many of the men holding torches. The children threw rocks at the poor women, hitting them sometimes in the chest and the head. The men holding the torches stepped forward and lit the ground underneath the witches. Emma yelled "Stop" but no one could hear her, whether it was because this happened in the past or her voice was drowned out by the witches' screams.

Her head began to pound and she squeezed her eyes shut in pain. When she reopened them, the screams were replaced with the chirping birds and the sun shone in her eyes.

"You okay, pipsqueak?" Damon asked, his hand still on her wrist, holding her's to the pillar.

"So, you may have been right." she said, pulling her hand away and stepping back from the pillar.

Damon opened his mouth to make a comment but was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone's ringtone. He pulled it out of his back pocket and flipped it open. "This is Damon." he said into the receiver. His eyebrows furrowed as he listened to the other person. "On my way." he said, pressing end and started walking towards the direction of the car.

"Wait, where are you going?" Emma asked, following behind him.

"There's an emergency at the Lockwood's. You can come if you want. Or do you want to spent some more time with the witches?" Damon suggested, lightly smirking at the end.

"I'm going." she said in a heartbeat. There was no way she was going to stay a minute longer in that house.

* * *

Damon and Emma walked up the steps to the Lockwood's mansion's front door, pushing past the guests that were being ushered out by Carol Lockwood. Emma entered the house first and immediately saw John's limp body laying on the floor, in front of the stairs.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, rushing to his side.

Carol reached out to pull Emma aside, but was stopped by Damon.

"Don't worry, she's good." he said, kneeling beside Emma. "How is he?" he asked Sheriff Forbes.

"He's dead." she confirmed.

Emma looked at the left side of his body and saw two punctures on the side of his neck with blood seeping out of the wound. Damon lifted John's left hand up to see that he was wearing the Gilbert ring.

He let out a sight. "He'll be fine in a couple hours."

"What are you talking about? Damon, he's dead." Carol said, obviously not knowing what the ring could do.

"The ring he's wearing has a spell on it. It protects you from death from the supernatural." Emma explained, looking up at the two older women behind her.

"But he's not breathing. He has no pulse." she informed, not grasping the idea yet.

"Oh, trust me. He will be." Damon said, moving to stand at John's head. He bent down and hooked his arms under John's armpits and began to drag him to the living room. "We're going to need a cover story- epileptic fit, alcohol binge, banana peel, what ever you want, but right now I just have to get him out of here."

Emma shrugged when Liz and Carol looked at her and she followed after Damon.

"Please be careful with him." she said as they went out to through the back door. They made it to Damon's car, which had been parked away from everyone else's and the vampire opened the trunk.

"Well," Damon grunted has he heaved John's body into the trunk. "we could always just leave him in the middle of the woods and pray the coyotes get to him before he wakes up." he suggested.

Emma gave him the 'really' look as they entered the car and made their way back to the boarding house. Damon parked and once again carried John inside the house, only to dump him on the floor. Emma didn't complain though, afraid that Damon would actually take John to the woods.

"Ugh." Damon said, looking down at the blood on his hands. "I'll be right back." And he vamped upstairs.

That left Emma alone. Well, alone with John but since he was dead, he didn't count. She went into the living room and flopped onto one of the couches. She didn't feel it before but a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed onto her. Her eyes were drooping down when she heard a crash upstairs. She got up to see Damon tugging a shirt on and heading towards the front door.

"Damn it!" he yelled, swinging the door open.

Emma ran to catch up to him. "What happened, Damon?"

"Isobel and Katherine happened." he replied, opening the car door and getting in.

Emma followed suit and buckled up. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that Isobel is a lying bitch and Katherine is a bigger bitch than her. They took the moonstone and Elena."

"What?!" Emma shouted as Damon zoomed down the road. "How are we going to find them?"

"Remember when Isobel kidnapped you and Jeremy and you were in that fancy house?" When Emma nodded, he continued. "Well, that house was on the market, meaning no one owned it and she was able to hide out there. I'm betting she's staying in a similar house as her hideout. But before we do that, we need to pick up Stefan."

Emma nodded and moved her way to the back seat, knowing Stefan would sit in the passenger seat. After they picked up Stefan back at the Lockwood's, they drove around the town, trying to find vacant homes. Damon stopped in front of a beautiful two story home and everyone piled out of the car.

"Think this is the one?" Stefan asked, helping Emma out of the back.

"Better be." Damon said, making his way around the car. "It's the nicest foreclosure in town."

Stefan marched his way to the door. "Swear to God, if she's not here-"

"Don't be such a pessimist."

They entered the home and looked around.

"I got upstairs." Stefan said, leaving the two.

Damon walked away too, to the back of the house. "Emma, stay there."

"Okay," she said, crossing her arms as she peered into the den of the house. She noticed two full luggage bags left by the front door. "Hey, I found Isobel's bags."

Damon reentered the foyer. "Then that makes this definitely the right place."

"Where are they?" Stefan asked, stomping down the stairs.

"I don't know, Stefan." Damon countered, obviously pissed.

"Guys, calm down. We'll find her." Emma injected.

They left the house and got back into the car. It wasn't until Emma got a call from Elena that they knew she was safe and at the cemetery in Grove Hill. They had made it back to the boarding house at night fall. Elena and Emma sat in the living room, the fire crackling in the background. Elena held a necklace in her hands that she traced over with her fingers.

"Is that Isobel's?" Stefan asked, sitting on one of the end tables.

Elena nodded. "I never thought I would feel bad about her being dead, and yet. . ." She trailed off, making Emma reach over and rest a comforting hand on her arm.

Stefan shook his head in understanding. "She was you mother."

They sat in a moment of silence before Emma broke it with a question. "Why did they let you go?"

Stefan shrugged. "Well, anything John told Isobel, we have to assume that Klaus knows, right? So he knows that you're not gonna turn yourself into a vampire. He knows that you have us keeping you safe."

"He knows I'm not gonna run." Elena finished.

"Which is why we need to take some precautions," Damon announced, entering the room with a pack of papers in his hands. "'cause we got played, all of us." He set the papers on Elena's lap.

"What's this?" Elena asked, looking down at the stack.

"It's the deed to our house. It's in Zach's name. As soon as you sign it, it'll be in your name." Stefan explained, his arms crossed as he looked down at Elena.

"You're giving me your house?"

"It makes sense." Emma pointed out. "That way, you get to say who can come in."

"Although I'll be super pissed if you lock me out." Damon said.

Emma smiled. "That actually wouldn't be a bad thing." Damon glared at the girl.

Back at the main hall way, they heard a loud gasp and John sitting up. Damon had vamped over to the man and lifted him up, his feet dangling above the floor.

"I swear I had no idea what she was gonna do. I'm sorry." John looked over at Elena. "I'm so sorry."

"Damon, let him go." Elena said, making Damon look at her as if she had three heads. "He and I need to talk."

Emma, Damon, and Stefan took that as the cue to leave, so they went over to the library to give them some privacy. Stefan walked over to the mini bar and poured him and Damon a drink, Emma declining his offer.

"Hey," Damon said, looking down at his phone. "Bonnie said the spell worked. She's locked and loaded."

"Finally, some good news." Emma said, sitting on the armchair of Damon's seat.

Stefan brought his glass to his mouth and took a swig of the drink. "Mmm. Katherine has no idea that Bonnie got her powers back. And Isobel had no idea what you guys took Bonnie to do today. We're the only ones who know."

Damon smirked. "That literally makes Bonnie our secret weapon."

Emma smiled and got up, changing her mind and getting water to drink. Though, as she was in midstep, her head pounded again, like before, making the girl grasp it and cry out in pain. She swayed, Stefan catching her before she fell, and she gasped, seeing flashing images before her eyes. She saw Katherine laying on the floor of some apartment. There was the sound of a man chanting and Katherine voice saying one name echoed loudly in Emma's head so much, that she said it aloud.

"Klaus."

Stefan and Damon glanced at each other quickly and looked at Emma in Stefan's arms. "What about Klaus?" Stefan asked.

Emma let out a shaky breath. "He's here. Klaus is here."

* * *

 **A/N: And here's the next chapter! I apologize for the long wait. Finals killed me this semester. And I failed half of them. Awesome, right?**

 **So how was the chapter? I decided to expand Emma's powers by also letting her see the past. I had read that seers are also known as psychics so I thought it would be cool to incorporate those powers with her seer powers. Let me know what you think. :)**

 **Anyways, there's another update coming your way! I might finish it late today or tomorrow so look out today and/or tomorrow. I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and Hanukkah and are having an amazing Kwanzaa. 333**


	26. The Last Dance

Emma and Bonnie sat on the couch in the library of the boarding house, watching Elena follow the directions of a lawyer. Emma was rubbing her now cast free arm, enjoying the absence of the cast. Emma had to go in to the doctors with Jenna that morning, and since they weren't really on speaking terms, it was a very awkward drive to and from the hospital.

"Please sign here and here." the lawyer said, showing Elena the pages and handing her the pen.

Elena took it out of his hands and chuckled. "Okay."

"So this place is all yours? They just gave it to you?" Bonnie asked, her fingers picking at one of the pillows.

"For now." Elena said, looking up from the paper work. "As sole owner, I'm the only one who can invite a certain type of person in here, if you know what I mean." she explained, her eyebrows raised up.

"Your own personal safe house." Bonnie concluded.

"Something like that." Emma confirmed, sipping her cup of water.

"Wouldn't want to clean it." Bonnie joked, causing Emma and Elena to laugh.

"And that's it." the lawyer said, gathering the papers and placing them in his brief case.

Emma smiled. "Time to tell the boys." she said, referring to Stefan and Damon who had to stay outside because of the change of ownership of the house. Emma and Elena walked the lawyer out, Elena opening the door.

"Thank you, Mr. Henry." she said as the man left. She turned and left Emma, Damon, and Stefan behind only to stop half way. "I'm so sorry. I completely forgot." she apologized, turning back around to face the vampires. "Stefan," Damon gave Stefan a tight smile. "Would you like to come inside my house?"

Stefan widely grinned. "I would love to. Thank you." he said, stepping through the doorway and standing next to the girls.

"What are we, 12?" Damon asked, arms crossed.

"One of us is." Elena pointed out, causing Emma to hold back a laugh. "If I let you in, do you promise to obey the owner of this house?"

"No." Damon bluntly said.

"Seriously, Damon?" Emma groaned, pinching her forehead. "She has the power to let you in. Don't be stupid."

"She's right. My way. You promised. I call the shots." Elena reminded. "No lies, no secret agendas. Remember?"

Damon sucked in a breath. "Yes, Elena. Sure."

"Then please, come in." Elena invited, moving aside to let Damon in.

Damon walked forward, past Stefan, muttering "shut up". Elena and Emma followed after the two vampires and Bonnie came up to them with their things. Stefan looked back and halted.

"Wait, where are you going?" he inquired, arms crossed.

"To school." Elena stated, putting on her jacket.

Damon set down the glass was about to pour bourbon in. "No, no, no. We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it."

Stefan nodded. "Yeah, guys. Emma saw last night that Klaus is here. We know that."

"Right. But where? No one knows." When Elena saw Damon and Stefan shrug, she sighed. "Look, I really appreciate what you guys are doing. And I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that I'll be safe here, but I'm not going to be a prisoner."

Stefan and Damon glanced at each other, lost for words. "Your way, Elena." Damon finally said.

As Bonnie began to speak, Damon made faces at Emma, secretly telling her to do something about Elena, but all Emma could do was shrug. There was no way Elena was going to suddenly change her mind just because she said so.

"Don't worry, I'm ready." Bonnie said. "If he shows his face, I can take him. I know how."

"The way I see it, next to Bonnie is the safest place I can be." Elena said, hooking her arm with Bonnie's and Emma's. "Come on." She pulled the two girls along with her, Stefan saying he was coming as well.

* * *

Emma entered her third period, which was math, one of her favorite subject. The downside about the class was that she had no idea what was happening. She was so focused on the vampire stuff that she totally forgot that there was a test today and it was on the latest unit they were on and calculators were not allowed. Yay for her, right? She was taking her pencil out when Jared walked in and sat down in the seat next to her.

"Hey, Em." he greeted, setting his backpack down.

Butterflies formed in Emma's stomach at the nickname. Sure, her family and friends call her that, but it sounded so much better when he said it. She brushed a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

"H-hey. How's your day going?" she stuttered, fiddling with her pencil.

Jared shrugged, his face scrunched up in an unsure expression. "Eh, it's alright. Though, it's better now that I'm in class with you." he said, smiling at the girl.

Okay, this boy was definitely trying to kill her with his perfection. Yes, what he said was completely cliche in every way but what girl doesn't want to hear that? She's never had anyone interested in her, and he may be the only one to ever like her.

"Same here." she said, her face turning blood red.

Someone had walked into the classroom, pinning a poster on the bulletin board. Jared nodded his heard toward the poster.

"Do you have plans coming up?" he asked.

Emma shrugged. "I don't think so. Why?"

Jared cleared his throat and sat straight in his seat. "Well, would you like to go to the 60's dance with me?"

Emma's eyes widened. "T-the dance? Um, sure, yes." she answered.

"Great. I can't wait." Jared said, giving her a bright smile.

She blushed down at her desk, too shy to look him in the eyes. In the back of her mind, she just prayed that there wouldn't be any trouble tonight. Their teacher had walked in, setting her workbag on the side of her desk.

"Good morning, class. I hope everyone is ready for today's test?"

Emma groaned and sunk down in her seat. Oh fun.

* * *

After Emma had bombed the test and went to her next class, lunch time had rolled around. Grabbing her tray of food, she met up with Elena and they both walked over to where Bonnie and Jeremy were sitting. She had to admit, she and Jeremy haven't been spending a lot of time together. Sure they went to the witches' burial site with Bonnie and Damon, but that was really the only time she's seen him.

"Hey, Jer. How are you doing? Are you okay at the house alone with John?" Elena asked, oblivious to the awkward tension between Bonnie and Jeremy.

Jeremy reached across the lunch table and grabbed his bookbag. "It's not ideal."

"You haven't heard from Jenna, have you?" Elena asked as Jeremy stood up.

"It looks like she's staying on campus." Jeremy informed. It was true. When Emma had gone with her aunt to the doctors and she dropped the young girl at the boarding house, Jenna drove off in the opposite direction of the Gilbert home. "Look. I'm uh- late for class." he said, leaving the girls.

Emma eyebrows furrowed together. "But lunch just started." she stated, sitting down at the table while watching Jeremy's retreating form.

"What's going on?" Elena asked Bonnie, sitting beside Emma.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I told him he had to dress up tonight and he got all uptight." she explained.

Elena chuckled and tore the plastic containing her fork and napkin. Emma could tell what Bonnie said was a lie, but decided not to bring it up. The problem had nothing to do with her.

A girl had come up to the girls, most likely a friend of Elena and Bonnie, Emma had thought.

"Hey, Elena, there you are. Okay. This is going to sound freaky," the girl began, giving Emma an unsettling vibe. "but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you're going to the dance tonight."

Elena let out a chuckle and Bonnie rolled her eyes yet again. "Tell him she has a boyfriend." Bonnie said.

The girl pouted. "You could at least meet him. He'll be at the dance tonight. Look for him. His name is Klaus." she said.

Emma dropped her bread roll after she heard Klaus's name out of the girl's mouth. "I'm sorry. What did you just say?" she asked, her muscles tensing.

"His name is Klaus." the girl said, giving Emma a look. "I know the name's stupid, but I swear he's hot." the girl claimed, her attention back on Elena.

Bonnie glanced out their surroundings. "Where is he? Is he here?"

The girl thought for a moment. "I don't know."

"She's been compelled." Emma whispered, eyeing the girl as she had trouble thinking of how Klaus looked like.

"Oh, but he wants to know if you'll save him the last dance." the girl said, a smiling forming on her face. "How cute is that?"

"Charming." Emma said, giving the girl a clear fake smile.

* * *

After school, Elena, Bonnie, and Emma immediately went to the boarding house and told the Salvatore brothers about their encounter.

"So we go to the dance, we find him." Damon said.

Stefan scoffed. "Really? How are we going to do that? We don't even know what he looks like."

"Something tells me he's not going to be 16 and pimply." Damon stated, crossing his arms.

"He could be anywhere at any time." Stefan said, arms at his hips. "He compelled somebody at school. I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?" he mentioned, looking over at Elena.

There was a knock at the door and who it revealed was Alaric.

"There you are." Damon addressed.

Alaric sucked in a breath. "Yeah, sorry I'm late." he apologized.

"Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight." Damon instructed as Alaric joined the groups circle. "Klaus made his first move."

Elena sighed. "Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?"

"Me." Bonnie announced. "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

"Emma, is there any way you can speed up the progress of finding him by remembering where you saw him?" Stefan questioned.

Emma shrugged, her arms hugging her waist. "All I saw was Katherine passed out on the floor. The only useful information I can give you is that he has a witch."

Alaric seemed alarmed. "And how would you know that?"

"Because I heard his witch chanting in my vision." Emma responded, looking over at the history teacher.

"You can see visions?" he asked.

Emma nodded slowly, visibly very confused at Alaric's questions. "Yeah. You know, since I'm a seer? Seriously, Ric. You already knew this." she answered.

Alaric seemed to have forced a laugh. "Right, ha. It just always amazes me. Well, it's not going to be that easy." he said, quickly changing the subject. "I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around."

"Alaric has a point." Damon commented. "I mean, what if he-" Suddenly, Damon vamped straight for Bonnie, only for her to use her magic to push him back.

"I'm impressed." Emma said, highfiving the Bennett witch.

"It doesn't matter if he's an original. I can take down anyone who comes at me." Bonnie said. She walked over to the oldest Gilbert. "I can kill him, Elena. I know I can."

* * *

Alaric had left to go get ready for the dance, leaving the rest to get ready themselves. Stefan had brought out chests full of his families old clothing, all from different eras. Emma was able to find an appropriate green and white striped dress and white gogo boots that fit her. As for her hair, she copied Elena and put it in a simple high ponytail, tied with a lime green hairband. When everyone was done getting dressed, they all drove to the high school, where hopefully they could find and kill Klaus once and for all.

"You guys ready to do this?" Stefan asked, his hand on the small of Elena's back.

With a quick nod from Bonnie, the group entered the gym just as a slow dance had ended. Looking up at the DJ's stage, Emma saw the girl from earlier today grab a microphone.

"Thanks for being here, everybody." she said, the crowd cheering and applauding. "We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Elena." All eyes had turned to the doppelganger. "From Klaus." This made Emma look around the large crowd of teenagers as the song began to play.

"That was a lame, cheap shot." Damon said, unimpressed by Klaus's move. "He's just trying to bait us."

"I know everyone here." Elena said.

Stefan shrugged. "Maybe he's not here. Just wants us to believe that he is."

"It's a party, people. Blend." Damon ordered, arms gesturing around them. "Let him come to us."

Bonnie agreed. "Good idea." She grabbed Jeremy's arm and tugged him to the center of the dance floor.

"No, no. I really don't feel like dancing." he protested, but that didn't matter to Bonnie.

Damon nodded his head towards Alaric. "There's Ric. I'll be right back." he said, pushing past the teens dancing.

Stefan held his hand out to Elena and asked her to dance, leaving Emma alone. She swayed to the music as she watched her brother and sister have some fun. She felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Hey, it's me." a voice said. When Emma turned around, she saw that it was Jared. "You look great." he complemented

Emma smiled. "Thanks. You, too." He wore a beige loose button up shirt with black jeans. She had to admit, he made the outfit work.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, pointing to the dance floor.

She thought for a moment. If her siblings could have fun, why couldn't she? "Yeah." she responded, grabbing his hand.

Emma wasn't that great of a dancer but she knew how to move to the beat of a song. Jared had spun her around and pull her towards him, his arms wrapped around her waist. She looked up at him, their faces notably very close. A blush rose on both their cheeks and neither moved their faces away. Jared seemed to have wanted to say something, but Emma would never know, thanks to someone grabbing her hand from Jared's and spinning her into their arms. She looked up and saw that it was none other than Damon Salvatore.

"Damon?" she said, shocked at the sudden change of partners.

"Hey, man. I was dancing with her." Jared protested, stepping closer to the pair.

Damon tightly smiled. "No, you weren't." He leaned down, still holding Emma, and narrowed his eyes at Jared. "You were going to get drinks at the snack bar." he compelled, making Jared turn and leave.

Emma glared at Damon with her green eyes. "Damon! Why did you do that?" she demanded.

"I was saving you from that nonsense. Trust me, I've seen his type before." Damon explained, moving along to the music.

The young Gilbert scoffed and looked away from Damon, anger boiling within her. "Oh, really? What makes you think that you can just go around and tell me who I can or can't hang out with? You are most definitely not in charge of me."

Damon laughed, twirling Emma around before bringing her back to his chest. "Well, for having supernatural powers and being many many years older than you, I think that I can do pretty much anything I want. And that includes making sure you stay away from losers like him."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." she said, reluctantly dancing with Damon.

They danced like that for awhile before Stefan approached the two of them. "Come here." he said, ushering them away from the crowd. "Please tell me you didn't know that Bonnie was on a suicide mission."

Emma's eyes widened. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Oh, great. Jeremy told you and of course you told Elena." Damon said, a little pissed.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah, I told her. You promised her no more secrets."

"In my defense, I just found out about it."

"Hey!" Emma shouted, gaining the vampires' attention. "How exactly is Bonnie on a suicide mission?"

"If Bonnie uses the power from the witches, it could kill her." Stefan explained, arms propped up on his hips.

"What?! Well, then we can't let her do that. We can come up with something else to do." she suggested, her head going over different ways to stop Klaus.

Damon suddenly turned his head in the direction of the double doors that lead into the school. "Trouble." And with that the two vampires were pushing past everyone to get over there, with Emma not far behind.

They pushed open the double doors and ran down the hallway. After taking a few turns, they finally came upon three boys beating up Jeremy, who was curled up on the floor.

"Jeremy!" Emma shouted, running forward. As she neared Jeremy, one of the boys pulled out a mini crossbow and shot it towards her.

Emma gasped when Stefan vamped in front of her, taking a stake to the shoulder. He grunted as he stumbled back from the impact.

"Let me guess. Klaus says hi." Damon said.

Stefan pulled the stake out of his shoulder and tossed two of the boys hard to the ground, knocking them out. Damon picked up the stake that hit Stefan and raised it to kill the last boy but was stopped when Emma grabbed onto his arm.

"Don't! He's compelled!" she pleaded.

"So?" Damon asked, tightening his grip on the boys shirt.

"So, the whole thing's a distraction. Go find Bonnie and Elena. I got this. Go." Stefan said.

Damon paused for a moment before shoving the boy into the lockers on the left. Then, he and Emma were running back to the dance to find Elena and Bonnie. When they turned another corner, they saw Elena and Bonnie enter the same hallway as them, Bonnie using her magic to close the double doors behind them.

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"Klaus-Klaus is in Alaric's body." Elena explained, breathing heavily from running.

"What?" Emma asked, mouth open in surprise.

"He's possessing it or something." Bonnie informed.

"Emma, take Elena to Stefan. Now." Damon ordered.

Emma nodded and gestured for Elena to follow her. The two raced back into the gym, the sound of music pounding in their ears.

"Just a little further!" Emma shouting, hoping Elena heard her over the music. She tried searching through the crowd to find Stefan but she had no luck.

"Hey! Are you guys okay?" Caroline asked, breaking away from Matt.

Elena eyed Matt, who seemed intrigued by their conversation. "Um, yeah. We're just looking for Stefan."

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Caroline pressed, noting the fact Matt was there.

Emma looked passed a couple dancing and saw Stefan run in. She nudged Elena and pointed at him.

"Just stay with Matt, okay?" Elena said before holding Emma's hand and heading over to Stefan.

The three of them were once again running down the halls when Damon joined them.

"There you guys are." he said, strangely calm under the circumstances.

"What are you doing? Where's Bonnie?" Elena questioned, coming to a stop in front of him.

"She's doing what she has to do." Damon informed. That sent red flags popping up in Emma's head.

"What?!" Emma and Elena shouted at the same time.

"Where is she?" Stefan pressured.

Damon got closer to Stefan. "Let her do what she needs to do."

"Damn it, Damon! Where is she!" Stefan asked again, but Damon remained silent. "Come on." he said, taking the girls to go find Bonnie.

They ran until they came upon the lunch area, where they saw Alaric, or Klaus, laying in the middle of the room with Bonnie facing him. Bonnie turned, blood dripping down her nose, and saw the three by the doors, but she slammed them shut, keeping them out. They slammed on the doors, trying to pry them open but, even with Stefan's vampire strength, it was no use. Emma and Elena called out for Bonnie, though Bonnie focused all her attention on the original vampire in front of her.

Bonnie thrust her hand out, making Klaus cry out in pain and the ceiling lights to explode. She let out a scream as she used more of her powers, causing the wind to pick up in the room. Emma knew something bad was going to happen when Klaus got up and smirked. All of a sudden, Bonnie's body tightened and she fell limp to the floor.

All the lights went out in the lunch area, and the three were able to open the double doors. Klaus had disappeared. They rushed to Bonnie's side, Elena trying to shake her awake.

"Bonnie, Bonnie, hey!" Elena called, her hands shaking violently.

"She's not breathing, Elena." Emma quietly said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Stefan pressed down on Bonnie's wrist, and gently placed it on the floor.

"Stefan, I can't feel her pulse. Stefan, please! Just give her blood, do something, please!" Elena pleaded.

Stefan sadly shook his head. "It's too late. I'm sorry."

Elena let out a sob. "No. No, no, no, no." she said, cradling Bonnie in her arms.

Damon entered the room they were in, taking in the scene before him. "Stefan, get them out of here. I'll deal with the body."

"What do you mean, 'deal with it'?" Elena demanded, anger laced in her words.

"The Sheriff can't know about this." Damon said, walking forward and picking Bonnie up in his arms. "The last thing we need is another mysterious death."

"This is Bonnie." Elena sobbed.

"Take her, now." Damon told Stefan, who nodded.

He grabbed onto Elena and dragged her out of the room, ignoring her protests. Emma stood in front of Damon, staring blankly at his face.

"Why'd you let her do it?" she asked, more tears forming in her eyes.

Damon sighed, carrying Bonnie out of the school through the back exit. "If you come with me, I'll explain why."

That angered the Gilbert. How could he not care that he let one of her close friends die? She stomped after him.

"Yes, please explain to me why you're such a cold-hearted monster." she yelled as they neared his car.

He set Bonnie on the inside of the trunk and closed it shut. He turned facing the girl as Jeremy joined the two, holding out his phone.

"Damon! I got your message, I can't find anyone." Jeremy looked over at Emma and saw the tears dripping off her chin. "What happened? Where's Elena? Where's Bonnie?"

Damon seemed to be at a lose for words. "We need to have a little talk." he said, before he explained the plan he and Bonnie came up with.

It turned out that Bonnie wasn't actually dead. Since Klaus knew that Bonnie had enough power to actually kill him, he wouldn't rest until he killed her. So, she had cast a spell on herself that made it seem like she was dead for awhile to make him believe she actually died. It was all for show. Upon hearing this, Emma sobbed, not of sadness but of happiness. Bonnie was alive.

Jeremy tightly hugged Emma and guided her to the car, so that they could take Bonnie to the witches' burial site to hide from Klaus. Damon and Emma dropped Jeremy off with Bonnie, then they headed back to the boarding house where Stefan had taken Elena. The car ride was silent.

"Damon." Emma began, breathing through her congested nose. "I'm sorry, about earlier. I was mad."

Damon kept his eyes on the road. "I understand."

"I didn't mean it." she said, looking up at him. "You're not a monster."

Damon chuckled. "But aren't I?"

Emma shook her head. "No, you're not."

Damon only nodded, either agreeing with her or his way of ending the conversation, she wasn't sure. When they got back to the boarding house, Damon was confronted by Elena, who was just as angry as Emma was for letting Bonnie die. Damon let her slap him in the face before he proceeded to explain what had happened. When Damon left the room and Stefan followed after him, Emma rushed forward and embraced Elena, as a new wave of tears washed over the both of them.

It was sometime later when Jeremy had texted them to be ready to talk to Bonnie via Skype. They waited patiently in the living room with Elena's laptop for Jeremy to set it up. It wasn't long before they saw Bonnie's face on the monitor.

"Bonnie!" they said together, bright smiles on their faces.

"Elena, Emma. I'm so sorry. There wasn't enough time to say anything." Bonnie sobbed, bringing the laptop closer to her face.

"It's okay. Damon explained it all to me." Elena said. Emma could tell that Elena and Bonnie needed some time alone together.

She excused herself and went to the library, where the other chimney was lit. Something about the fire drew Emma closer to it, so she sat down in front of it to warm herself up.

But, like before at the Grill, as she stared into it, the crackling of the wood grew louder. Each time she blinked, the scene before her kept changing from the inside of the boarding house to the middle of the woods. At one point, she kept her eyes closed for a while, and when she opened them, she stood in the middle of a clearing, with fire burning all around her.

She looked to her left to see Elijah standing in front of a body that laid on the ground, not dead but alive. The fire was so hot that it made her eyes water, making it difficult for her to figure out who the person was with Elijah.

"Hello, brother." Elijah said, staring down at the figure. So it was Klaus. Elijah paused before he plunged his hand into Klaus's chest, Klaus screaming out in pain. "In the name of our family, Niklaus. . ."

Emma gasped, finding herself back in the library, the only fire burning was safely contained in the fireplace. So, Elijah really did want to get rid of Klaus. Emma got up from the floor and made her way to the cellar steps. She quickly checked to see if the coast was clear, and then she descended downstairs. Making it to her destination, she unlocked the cell door and swung it open, revealing Elijah's lifeless body on the floor with the dagger in his chest.

She slowly walked up to his body and knelt beside it, a million thoughts going through the girl's head. Peering down at Elijah's face, she saw the discoloration and the veins that covered his hands and face. If she did what she was about to do, it would either be a good thing or it would later come back and bite her in the ass. Well, it was a risk she was willing to make.

Wrapping her hand around the handle of the dagger, she lifted the dagger out of his chest, sound of his squishy flesh making her cringe. Setting the knife down, she sat cross legged, waiting for Elijah to come back to life.

* * *

 **Yes, yes, yes. I have updated again. It's Christmas break for me and I suddenly have the urge to just write all of a sudden, even though I want to finish reading The Mortal Instruments, I'm on Book 4.**

 **What did you think of the chapter? Honestly, when the guy shot the crossbow towards Emma, originally it's Damon who gets hit on the show so I was going to have _him_ jump in front of her, but then I thought, Stefan and Emma really don't have much of a connection like the way she and Damon do. SO, I thought it would be nice if he was the one to save her from the stake.**

 **Please leave a comment down bellow on your thoughts about the update or just anything in general. I'm going to finally ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. I'm just going to do the most recent ones so if your question is unanswered, leave it again and I'll answer it in the next update!**

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 **MageVicky- So is Jared just a normal person or? : Yes, Jared is just a plain old person. I do not have any plans to make him become a vampire or have him suddenly turn into a werewolf. I think it would be lame if I did that and I'm really just not feeling it.**

 **LadyAnnikki: I know it's a bad thing with Emma being involved. I was like maybe in chapter 7? 8? when I realized like damn, this is a 12 year old compared to Jeremy and _she's_ the one being allowed to help. Yeah, I would have made her older so that it would make a bit more sense but you know, it's a story and idk it's just the way I saw it in my mind. But I totally get what you mean. :)**

 **Star1X- Have you considered having her befriend someone the rest of the gang aren't really close to?: I CAN'T SAY. IT COULD RUIN/SPOIL MY PLANS. YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND FIND OUT. I'M SORRY :((((**

 **DarthWinterSoldier: TBH, I do, too. He's kind of annoying but at the same time, it gives Emma a friend that's not involved with the supernatural.**

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 **BE READY FOR ANOTHER UPDATE!**


	27. Klaus

Emma sat with her back against the stone wall, playing with the dagger in her hand. It had been 10 minutes and Elijah was not awake yet. She had no idea how long it would take for him to come back to life, so all she could do was wait. She kept thinking about her decision. What if Elijah doesn't help them? It could be a huge possibility considering Elena had driven the dagger in his chest. But that was why she didn't involve anyone else. He wouldn't trust them, but he could trust her, since she had no part in killing him.

Another minute had gone by and still nothing. Emma let out a sigh, getting up from her spot on the ground. She still wore the 60s outfit she had on the night before. She thought it would have been to risky to go change, in case Elijah woke up while she was gone. Emma got closer to Elijah's body and knelt beside it, trying to see if there was any difference in his appearance to indicate if he was waking up.

Just then, Elijah let out a gasp, making Emma stumble back in surprise. Elijah's back lurched upward with a sickening crack of his bones. He looked up and saw the young girl, a pained expression on his face.

"Elijah," she whispered, placing a finger on her lips, shushing him.

He had passed out for a second, which worried Emma. But then he woke up again and got up from the floor, his joints cracking with each movement.

"I can't- I can't breathe!" he said, gasping for air as he looked out around confused. He fell to his knees. "What's happening to me?" he asked, looking at Emma.

Emma stammered over her words, not exactly sure what was going on. How was she supposed to know this was going to happen?

Elijah stood up and moved to vamp out of the cell, but he was stopped by an invisible barrier. Emma quickly got up and tried her best to help in stand straight.

"I can't- I can't be in this house." Elijah said, breathing hard.

Emma's eyes widened. "You weren't invited in." she concluded.

"You need to get me out of here." Elijah strained before he pushed himself off of Emma and slammed into the wall outside of the cell.

He took a moment to breath before he vamped upstairs, out of Emma's eyesight. Emma ran after him, the best she could in the gogo boots she wore. As she ran, she made sure to look around, hoping no one was around. When she made it to the main hallway, she turned to see Elijah kneeling by the front door, outside. She slowed her pace and hesitantly walked closer to the door. Elijah narrowed his eyes at her. He vamped after her, only to be stopped by the barrier.

"What happened?" Elijah asked, resting his arms on either side of the door frame.

Emma shushed him, pointing upstairs. "I'll tell you, but not here." she whispered. "Can I trust you?"

Elijah moved closer the best he could. "Can I trust you?" he whispered back.

Emma looked down at the dagger, tightening her grip on in before holding it out to the original vampire. He observed her as he careful took the dagger from her hands. Emma nodded, satisfied with his move.

"I'll be right back." she whispered, turning around and tiptoeing her way upstairs.

Entering the room she sometimes stayed in, she pulled off the boots and opened the duffel bag she had her clothes in. She bragged the easiest things she could slip on in, jeans and a graphic t-shirt, anything to get out of the dress. Once she finished tying her shoe laces, she quietly ran back downstairs and grabbed a blood bag from the fridge. Heading back to the hallway, she felt a wave of relief to see Elijah still standing there. She grabbed Elena's car key on the side table and stepped outside with Elijah. She handed him the blood and the keys.

"Here," Emma whispered, "to get you back in good shape and because I can't drive." She walked up to Elena's Ford Explorer, pointing at it to Elijah so he knew what car to unlock.

They got in the car and Elijah pulled out of the lot, driving away from the boarding house. It would have been a lie if Emma said she still wasn't nervous about the situation. But she believes that the two have an understanding now and he really could help them. Elijah, his eyes still on the road, tore the top of the blood bag open and gulped the blood down. Almost immediately, his face turned back into it's original color. Emma watched with curiosity as he squeezed the bag, getting every last drop of the blood. Once the bag was empty, he tossed the bag in the back seat.

Emma cleared her throat and glanced down at her lap. "You look better."

Elijah ignored her comment. "Where did you get the dagger."

"You'll know everything, soon. But we need to work together, Elijah. I need your word." Emma explained, looking up at the vampire.

Elijah chuckled. "You seem to be under the impression that you can make the demands."

Emma shook her head. "No demands. You need our help, and we need yours."

"And why should I even consider this?" he asked, glance at the young girl.

She shrugged. "The same reason you haven't killed me yet." Emma said. "We both want the same thing- to kill Klaus. So we need each other." Just then, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her jacket pocket and saw Elena's name on the screen. "H-"

" _Where are you, Emma? Are you safe_?" Elena asked, not letting Emma even greet her.

Emma sighed. "Yeah, Elena. I'm fine."

" _What about Elijah_?" Stefan said. Emma assumed she was on speaker.

"He's right here. Everything's alright."

" _Tell us where you are. We'll get you_." Elena ordered, the sound of anger evident in her voice.

Emma shook her head, knowing they couldn't see her. "No. I'm the only one Elijah trusts at the moment. Let me talk to him. He's a noble man, guys. He lives by a code of honor. I can trust him. We can trust him. I'll be in touch." she said, hanging up on them. She held out her phone to Elijah. "I'm assuming you want this."

Elijah smiled. "Smart girl." With one hand on the wheel, he took the cellphone and placed it in his coat pocket. "Now, what is with this sudden rebellion? Why are you so convinced that I will live up to the 'code of honor'?"

"I saw you." she said, looking out the car window. "I saw you about to kill Klaus. That's all the evidence I need."

"Then it seems his arrival is close at hand." Elijah noted, which made Emma suck in a breath.

"Um, well, he's kind of already. . . here." Emma announced.

Elijah slammed on the car brakes, making it come to a screeching halt. Emma grabbed onto the emergency handle as the car behind them nearly crashed into them. The car honked as it drove by. Emma looked up to see the horror in Elijah's eyes. "Kl-Klaus is here?" he asked, his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

Emma nodded. "He's taken control over Alaric's body."

Elijah scoffed, continuing to drive down the road. "Of course he has. It's one of his favorite tricks."

"What are his other tricks? Do you have any idea what he's going to do next?" Emma pressed, sensing she could obtain some answers. "He's your brother, you're the one who knows him."

Elijah looked out, lost in thought. "Yes, I do." He didn't say anything else after that, leaving the rest of the car ride in silence.

As they drove, Emma noticed that they were heading in the direction of the Lockwood's house. The original pulled up to the front of the house and turned it off. They got out of the vehicle and went up the patio steps, Elijah ringing the doorbell.

Carol opened the door, dressed with her coat and hand bag. "Elijah, Emma. What are you doing here? What happened?" she asked, gesturing to Elijah's torn clothing.

"I had a bit of an accident, Carol. I'm hoping you could help." Elijah said.

Carol began to shake her head. "Well, I'm on my way to a meeting, so I-"

Elijah stepped forward. "I won't take but a minute of your time."

Carol's face went expressionless until she smiled brightly at the two. "Of course, anything you need." she said, moving aside to let them in.

Elijah thanked her and entered the home, Emma behind him. "First things first. I'm going to need a change of clothing." he said.

Carol closed the door after they were inside. "Well, we can try one of my husband's suits." she offered. "I haven't boxed them up yet."

"Wonderful." Elijah said and Carol went upstairs.

Emma looked over at Elijah. "How'd you know she's not on vervain?" she asked.

"Because I'm the one who got her off it." he explained, glancing around. "Right before you and your friends killed me. Twice."

"Hey, I told them it wasn't a good idea. But as always, they hardly listen to me." Emma said, crossing her arms in annoyance.

Elijah smiled. "Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be down in a moment." he said, leaving Emma downstairs.

She walked into the den and sat on one of the love seats, waiting for him to return. Which didn't take long, he was back after 3 minutes. He made his way over to the sofa across from her and took a seat.

"So, I assume that the Martin witches are no longer with us." he concluded, flattening out the blazer.

Emma shook her head, remembering how Luka was burned alive and Stefan snapping the Jonas's neck in her bathroom. "No, I'm sorry."

"And Katerina. She would have been released from my compulsion when I died." he said.

"Klaus has her. When I saw her with him, it seemed like she was alive, but we don't know."

"It's not Klaus' style. Death would be too easy for her after what she did." Elijah said, looking down at the coffee table.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand. You say that you want Klaus dead, but you still made Katherine pay for betraying him."

Elijah stared blankly at Emma. "I have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay. There' was a time I'd have done anything for Klaus. Klaus is my brother."

Emma nodded along, which surprised Elijah, not expecting that to be her reaction. "Oh, um, in my vision, you said 'hello, brother.'. I just assumed it was Klaus."

"A very good assumption indeed." Elijah said, getting up to walk over to a mirror that hung over the grand fireplace.

"So, if there more people in your family?" Emma asked, crossing her legs.

Elijah fixed the collar with the help of the mirror. "My father was a wealthy land owner in a village in eastern Europe. Our mother bore seven children."

"Wait, so your whole family were humans?"

"Correct. Our origin as vampires, though, is a very long story." Elijah explained, watching as Emma processed the information. "Just know, we're the oldest vampires in the world. We are the original family and from us all, vampires were created."

"What I'm having trouble is figuring out why you want Klaus dead. I mean, he's your brother."

"I need some air." Elijah said, avoiding her question. "I'm still feeling a tad. . . dead. Come." He walked out of the living room, motioning for Emma to follow him.

She quickly got up after him as he went out the backward door and descended down the stairs outside.

"As you know, nothing can kill an original. Not sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite." They began to cross the open field behind the Lockwood house. "Only the wood form one tree; a tree my family made sure burned."

"That's where the white ash for the dagger comes from." Emma deduced, remembering the mini vial of ashes that sat in the Salvatore house.

"Yes. The witches won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the earth." Elijah said. "Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain the balance."

Emma crossed her arms as they walked. "I don't get it. If the sun doesn't kill you guys, then why is Klaus so obsessed with breaking the curse?"

Elijah chuckled. "Right. The curse of the of the sun and moon. It's all so. . . biblical-sounding, don't you think?" They stopped at small wooden bridge.

"What do you mean?"

Elijah then proceeded to tell Emma a memory of him and Klaus, having a laugh over having written the curse.

"So, you made up the curse?" Emma asked, still completely lost. "Why?"

"The easiest way of discovering the existence of a doppelganger or to get your hands on some long, lost moonstone is to have every single member of two warring species on the lookout for it." he explained.

"Then, what does a doppelganger and moonstone have anything to do with, you know, anything?" Emma asked as they crossed the bridge.

"Well, there is a curse. The real one is much worse. It's a curse placed on Klaus." Elijah said, making Emma's eyes widen.

"That's why he's so obsessed. He wants to break it." Emma said, just as her phone just started to vibrate in Elijah's blazer pocket.

Elijah sighed, taking it out and handing it out to her. "Here, the phone's buzzing is getting on my nerves."

She answered the phone and was met with Elena's frantic voice. "Whoa, Elena. Calm down. What happened?" Elena's next words left the young girl in shock. "What?! I'll be right there." she said, hanging up after. "Klaus went after Jenna. I need to get home."

"I'm afraid that wasn't part of today's arrangement."

"I'll be back. You know I will. I just need to go." Emma assured. "Please." When Elijah nodded, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you." she said, turning around and running off.

She dialed Stefan's number and asked him if he could get her, though before she told him her location, she made sure she was far from the Lockwood's so that he didn't know where Elijah was. Let's just say she was out of breath when he showed up. He vamped over where she was, a lot more easier than driving in his car. When he brought her back to the boarding house and she entered the library, Elena and Jenna were in a tight embrace.

"Jenna!" Emma cried, running over and hugging the woman. She could feel Jenna shaking around her, obviously the news of vampires left her in total shock.

The Gilbert sisters spent the rest of the time trying to explain as much as they could, without scaring the poor woman anymore than she already was. After some time, Jenna had gotten too tired, so Elena and Emma left her alone and met up with Stefan who was waiting near by.

"How is she?" he asked, hands on his hips.

"She's in shock. I tried to tell her as much as I could, but we barely scratched the surface." Elena explained.

Stefan shook his head. "I'm so sorry guys. I hate this."

"Stefan, it's not. It's mine." Elena said, resting a comforting hand on his forearm.

Emma tried to come up with an excuse to leave but nothing made sense to her in her mind. "Guys, I have to go back to Elijah." she said, heading towards the front door.

"What? No, Em. You can't." Elena said and reached out and grabbed Emma's arm before she could get farther.

"Elena, I have to. I promised him. This is the only way he will help us. So, please, let me go." she said, her eyes begging Elena.

Elena looked over at Stefan, who only sighed. She sighed as well and let go of Emma's arm. "Fine. Just, be careful."

Emma smiled. "Aren't I always?" She started walking to the door again when she stopped and faced Stefan. "Um, do you think you can take me back to where you picked me up earlier?"

Stefan nodded and followed her, only to be stopped by Damon and Andie.

"Where do you think you're going?" Damon asked, making his way to the three.

"To Elijah." Emma responded.

Damon vamped forward, blocking Emma's way. "No."

"Damon, back awa-" She tried to walk past him, but Damon's hand snatched her arm in a tight grip.

"If you so much as try and take a step out of this house-"

"Take it easy, Damon." Andie said behind him.

"Stay out of this, Andie."

"Let her go." Stefan said, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

"Are you kidding me? We just got her back?" Damon protested.

Stefan grabbed onto the arm Damon used to hold Emma. "You heard me. I said 'let her go'."

Damon glared at Stefan. "That's twice today you've stood in my way. I wouldn't try a third." He released his hand from Emma and backed away, allowing Stefan and Emma to walk out the door.

Emma held onto Stefan tightly as he vamped both of them to where he picked her up. Before Emma made her way to the Lockwood's, she waited for Stefan to leave, who did so reluctantly. When she knew he left, she ran back to the Lockwood's, arriving there completely out of breath. She opened the front door and stepped inside to see Elijah standing next to the fireplace like before.

"Welcome back." he greeted, lifting his glass in the air.

"So," she began, walking into the den and plopping down on the sofa. "what's Klaus' curse?"

Elijah set his glass down on the coffee table. "My family was quite close, but Klaus and my father did not get on too well. When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son. My mother had been unfaithful many years before. This was her darkest secret. Klaus is from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and he killed my mother's lover and his entire family." he said, getting up again with his glass. "Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day."

"A war between the species?" Emma repeated, trying to make sense of his words. "Wait, do you- do you mean vampires and werewolves? Klaus' real father was a werewolf? But what does that make Klaus? Is he a werewolf or a vampire?"

Elijah paused for a moment. "He's both." He continued when Emma sat there on the sofa, speechless. "A hybrid would be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire. Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant."

Emma let out a shaky laugh. "So that's the curse he wants to break."

"He wants to trigger that part of him that's a werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He'd build his own race. Endangering not just vampires, but everyone."

"Yo-you helped him, though." Emma pointed out, adjusting her position to face Elijah.

"I helped because I loved him. That's changed, now he must die."

"Well, we have the dagger now. Problem solved."

"When a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals. An original can't be killed by anything but white oak ash on a silver dagger. So you see the conundrum. The dagger does not work." Elijah said, leaning against the door frame of the den.

"So, what? He can't be killed?"

Elijah nodded. "There's one way to kill any supernatural species- at the hands of the servants of nature themselves."

"A witch with enough power." Emma finished, finally understanding. "But it would kill them."

"The curse must be broken during the full moon, when Klaus is in transition. That's when he'll be at his most vulnerable. A witch with enough power can kill Klaus."

Emma got up and stood in front of Elijah. "What if I told you we know a witch that can use that power?"

"Then I would tell you there's one more thing that you should know." he said. He told her the memory of the preparation of the last ritual with Katherine and how the witches they had at the time had found a way to keep her alive.

"You found a way to save the life of the doppelganger?" Emma asked, already knowing the answer.

Elijah shook his head yes. "Yes, young one. I did. But unfortunately, Katerina took matters into her own hands first. I believe you already know how that played out."

Emma looked up at the man. "You cared about her, didn't you?"

"It's a common mistake, I'm told." Emma nodded, agreeing with him. "And it's one I won't make again." he said, leaving the house through the front door.

Emma went after him and could tell it was time to take him back to the boarding house, not just to come up with a plan with Elijah, but to also return Elena's car. The car ride was silent, but not one of those awkward ones, thank god. She took the time to text Elena to meet her at the front door, preferably without Damon and Stefan. Once they got there, Elena already had the door open and gestured inside, indirectly inviting the original in. Though, when they entered the library, they were met with two fighting brothers.

"Stop!" Emma shouted, the Salvatores stringing apart from each other.

Damon looked over and saw Elijah standing with Emma and Elena. "Now you've invited him in?"

"Elijah and I have made our own deal that I hope none of you break." Emma explained, her arms crossed.

"The two of you will come to no harm at my hands." Elijah said behind Emma. Damon looked at Elijah as if he were speaking in a language he couldn't understand. "I only ask for one thing in return."

"What?" Damon asked, annoyance written all over his face.

"An apology."

Damon and Stefan glanced at each other, not sure what to make of the situation. Though, it was no surprise when Stefan stepped forward.

"I am sorry for the part I played in your death. I was protecting Elena. I will always protect Elena." Stefan said, looking in Elena's eyes as he did.

Emma looked over at Elijah. "How was that?" she asked.

The original vampire nodded. "I understand."

The rest looked back at Damon to see him shaking his head no to the deal. Emma let out a frustrated sigh. They were so close. Why won't he just do it?

"Sacrifice is going to happen, Damon." Elena said.

Emma nodded and faced Damon. "Bonnie will be able to kill Klaus without hurting herself and Elijah knows how to save. . . how to save Elena's life." she revealed, surprising the others.

"Is that true?" Damon asked Elijah.

"It is."

"I am." Emma confirmed.

Damon shook his head again. "You can all go to hell." And with that, he left the room.

Emma didn't realize it before, but tears had been forming in her eyes. She really thought that for once, Damon would understand. She sniffed and quickly wiped the tears with her jacket sleeve.

"He's angry with me right now." Stefan clarified, watching after his brother. "But he'll come around."

"Perhaps." Elijah replied.

Emma beckoned for Elijah to follow her. "Here, I'll show you to your room." she said, already walking away.

As they walked, an almost naked Andie ran past them with her clothing in her hands, a frightened look plastered on her face. This worried Emma a bit, though, when they walked past Damon's door, she didn't stop to see him. . . at first. After she presented Elijah's room to him, which was across from hers, she retraced her steps back to Damon's. The door was already slightly open, so all she had to do was push. Damon's back was to her as she saw him sitting in front of his fireplace.

"Damon." she said, though he didn't respond. "Damon."

"Get out." he said, in a strained voice.

"R-really, Damon? You're acting like a litt-"

Damon vamped to her, slamming her against the wall next to the door and his hand around her throat. "I said. Get. Out." he growled, blood running down his chin.

Emma whimpered, looking up at Damon's terrifying face. She shoved him back and he let her, stumbling back from her not so strong push. She touched her neck, breathing heavily.

"Fine." she said, glaring at the vampire. "Be that way." She stomped out of his room and into hers, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

 **A/N: SEASON 2 IS ALMOST OVER GUYS! I honestly am super excited. I only know a little bit of what I'm going to do in the next season. Season 3 is a little bit hazy for me, like what happens in the middle, but I do remember a lot so don't fret. But I do have to say that season 3 is my favorite season ever of TVD so it's gonna be FUN!**


	28. The Last Day

"Tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse." Elijah said, standing at the center of the library while Stefan, Emma, and Elena sat watching him.

Damon had closed himself off from everyone, staying up in his room as the rest of them formulated some sort of plan. It made Emma squirm at the thought of the encounter last night. She was happy she didn't have to deal with him.

"Emma said that the sun and moon curse is fake?" Stefan repeated. "That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus."

"Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it. . . he'll be a true hybrid." Elijah clarified.

"Then why are we letting him break the curse?" Damon said, entering the room. Emma tensed unconsciously at the sight of him. "We can kill him today. With Bonnie."

"Damon-" Stefan started, but Elena cut him off.

"No. Bonnie can't use that much power without dying." Elena denied.

Damon brushed her off. "I'll write her a great eulogy."

Emma let out a frustrated sigh. "It's not an option, Damon." she said, bringing herself to look at the vampire.

"All right, how do we break this curse?" Stefan brought up, sensing the tension between the two.

"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know." Elijah explained.

"The moonstone." Stefan listed.

Elijah nodded. "A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."

"And where do I fit into fit?" Elena asked.

"The final part of the ritual." Elijah stated, picking up a miniature chest in his hands. "Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger to the point of your death."

That sent a feeling of uneasiness through everyone. Stefan reached out and held Elena's hands for comfort.

Emma fiddled with her fingers. "And what's your plan to stop that from happening?"

Elijah opened the chest, pulling out a glass vile. "This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So I'll be dead?" Elena asked.

"And then you won't." Elijah finished.

Damon was not satisfied. "That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date? You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?"

Emma shook her head. "It won't work. She's supernatural."

"I'll take those odds over the elixir." Damon said, gesturing to the bottle. "What if it doesn't work, Elena?"

"Then I guess I'll just be dead." she plainly said.

An awful pit in Emma's stomach formed, making her stand up. "Sorry, this is too much. I-I need some fresh air." she said, walking off.

Cutting through the kitchen, she went out the back door and into the backyard, walking out onto the finished landscape. Being outside really did help her, though she still felt a little overwhelmed. She had to admit, Damon was right. There was a possibility that it wouldn't work and Elena would stay dead. And as much as she wants to say 'let's come up with something else', it was their only solution. Time was almost up.

She rubbed her face, breathing in and out slowly. She heard footsteps behind her and she prayed it wasn't him, but sadly when she glanced behind her, Damon stood with a glass of bourbon. She groaned and moved to walk further away, but Damon caught onto her arm.

"Emma." he said, Emma looking up at him with a glare. "Listen, I-"

"What?" Emma interrupted. "You're sorry? Right, like I believe that. Look, I honestly don't care about your apology right now. I only care about saving Elena's life." she informed, yanking her arm back.

Damon glowered down at the girl. "So am I, but you guys are so bent on trusting Elijah that none of you are realizing the risk."

"You think I don't see the risk? Of course I do! I'm completely terrified that the potion won't work and Elena will be dead. But I trust Elijah and I trust Bonnie and I believe that if we try hard enough, we can stop Klaus and save my sister." Emma revealed, not even noticing her body begin to shake.

Damon's expression softened, a feeling of guilt hitting him. Emma backed away and headed for the house. As she walked, Stefan stepped out.

"Good luck." she muttered, stomping away. Entering the main hallway, she heard the front door slam shut and saw Jenna holding a crossbow. "Whoa, Jen-"

"Get out!" Jenna yelled, pointing the weapon at the intruder.

Emma walked over to Jenna to see Alaric or Klaus standing back with his hands up.

"Jenna, put the crossbow down, okay? It's me." he said.

"Prove it." Emma challenged as everyone else joined to see what the commotion was.

'Alaric' looked over at Jenna as he thought of what to say. "Okay, uh, first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right when I was about to-"

"It's him." Jenna confirmed, lowering the crossbow.

Emma grimaced and shifted in her place uncomfortably. She did not want to know what Jenna and Alaric did in their free time, so she was relieved when Jenna stopped Alaric from talking.

"Why did he let you go?" Stefan asked, standing next to Elena.

Alaric let his hands rest at his side. "He wanted me to deliver a message. The sacrifice happens tonight."

At his words, everyone looked at each other uneasily. To continue the conversation, they all went into the living room.

Stefan crossed his arms and slowly paced around. "So you don't remember anything that happened?" he questioned Alaric, who sat on one of the couches by himself as everyone watched him.

"No. It's like I blacked out and woke up 3 days later." Alaric replied. "Katherine was there."

"She's under compulsion." Stefan said, pausing his walk by Emma. "Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can."

"Where is Damon?" Elena asked from her seat.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Does it matter?"

Jenna lightly touched Emma's leg. "I saw him go upstairs." she told Elena. Elena got up and left everyone to go upstairs.

Alaric sighed. "So what else did I do?" he asked.

Emma took a moment to answer. "Well, I guess you could say you killed Bonnie," she began and when she saw Alaric's face shift to a horrified expression, she was quick to reassure him. "but you didn't! It's more like she killed herself but not really. Just know she's alive and kicking, don't worry." She looked up to Stefan giving her a 'really' look. "What? He said he wanted to know what happened while Klaus was controlling him."

All of a sudden, Stefan's head snapped up towards the ceiling, and he vamped upstairs. Emma knew that didn't mean anything good happened. She sprung up from the couch and ran, Alaric and Jenna behind her. There was a loud crash from Damon's room, so they headed there. Entering the room, they saw Elena kneeling on the floor next to Stefan, who was stabbed with the base of a lamp in his gut. Damon was not that far from the couple.

"What happened?!" Emma shouted, bewildered at the scene.

"Just get him out of here." Elena demanded, cradling Stefan in her arms.

Alaric circled around the couple and bent down to pick Damon up, but Damon shrugged him off and left the house himself. Emma knelt down next to Stefan and Emma as Alaric instructed Jenna to go grab a blood bag from the basement. Elena pulled the lamp base out of Stefan's gut, Stefan crying out in pain.

He panted, resting his head on Elena's lap. "I'm so sorry." he said, making Emma confused.

Elena caressed Stefan's face. "It's okay. It's okay." she whispered.

It was then when Emma noticed the blood on the corners of Elena's chin. "Elena." she said, but Elena shook her head, not wanting to get into it at the moment.

Alaric grabbed Stefan and carried him to his room while they waited for Jenna. Jenna finally came back with the blood bag and gave it to Stefan. Elena helped him open it and he drank the blood, his wound healing. When he finished the last drop, he groaned and tossed the bag on the floor.

"Thank you. Both of you." the vampire thanked, looking at Alaric and Jenna.

Alaric nodded. "Yeah, well, we'll be downstairs." he said, and the older couple left.

"What happened?" Emma asked, though she left like she already knew the answer.

Elena looked down, sitting down on Stefan's bed with the said vampire. "Damon fed me his blood. . . so that I come back as a vampire."

Emma's jaw tighten. "Of course he did. He just ruined everything. I'm so sorry, Elena." she said, angry tears forming.

Elena shook her head and faced Emma. "It's not your fault. I just-I just can't believe he would do that. Why?"

"Hey," Stefan said, placing his hand on Elena's cheek. "We've never talked about this. What this all means."

"It doesn't matter." Elena said.

"I want to take you somewhere." Stefan announced.

"I-I can't go."

Emma squeezed Elena's shoulder with her hand. "Elena, you should go."

Elena smiled at Emma and then nodded her head to Stefan. "Okay." she whispered.

The two left a few minutes later and that left Jenna and Emma alone in the boarding house. Alaric had gone to go check on Damon, knowing he'd head to The Grill for a drink. Emma had started to go to the kitchen with Jenna when she heard whispering coming from the basement. She stopped suddenly and faced the door, causing Jenna to stop as well and begin watching the girl, not sure what was happening.

"Emma? Are you alright?" she asked, but Emma ignored her, lost in the countless voices.

Emma walked up to the door, the voices getting louder and louder as she got closer. Opening the door, she was met with a different staircase that felt so familiar but she couldn't place her finger on it. She thought she heard Jenna speak behind her and when she turned around, she found herself in the woods, Jenna nowhere in sight. When she looked towards the staircase, she saw that it was the the entrance to the tomb.

She hesitantly went down the steps and came to the opening to the tomb, the same way it looked the last time she was here. She went further into the tomb, all the way to the back. She was surprised to see Caroline and Tyler chained to the walls knocked out. It clicked in her head, they were Klaus' sacrifices for the ritual.

Just then, she felt herself being shook, and the next time she blinked, she was in the cell where Elijah's body was and Jenna had her hands on Emma's shoulders.

"Emma!" she shouted, shaking Emma again.

Emma put her hands on top of Jenna, getting them off. "What? Jenna, stop."

Jenna scoffed, a bit pissed. "I'm sorry, but you're the one who suddenly came down here and stood still. I tried to talk to you and wave my hand in front of you to snap you out of it but you didn't respond and that really worried me becaus-"

"Jenna!" Emma interrupted. "It's fine. This happens to me sometimes."

Jenna's furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, 'this happens to me sometimes'? I've known you for your whole life and you've never done this before."

Emma let out a nervous laugh. "I haven't told you this, but I can see the future, like a psychic. Oh! And now I can see the past, but that's new so, yeah."

Jenna slowly nodded. "O-okay. That, I wasn't expecting."

Emma shrugged. "Same here, but I need to go." she said, jogging up the basement stairs and heading towards the front door.

"Whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?" Jenna asked, running ahead of Emma and blocking her way.

"Listen, something bad is happening and I need to stop it." Emma tried explaining. She pushed past Jenna and went out the door, not listening to Jenna's calls. "While I'm gone, whatever you do, don't leave the house!" Emma shouted, beginning her run into the woods.

It was kind of hard for her to find her way in the woods. She got lucky last time, back when Anna kidnapped her. Luckily, when she pulled out her phone, she had just enough reception to find her way to the tomb. Just as she got there, well, I think you can guess who showed up as well.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"I could ask you the same thing. I'm here to save Caroline and Tyler." Emma stated.

"Ha, that's where you're wrong. I am going to save Caroline and the dog. You are turning your ass around and heading back to the boarding house where it's safe." Damon countered.

Emma went to argue with him more, but a strange man appeared before them.

"Did you really think Klaus would leave them unprotected?" he asked, causally walking around.

Damon shrugged. "Wishful thinking."

Damon vamped forward and tackled the guy, using his hand to choke the man. Emma wished she saw this in her vision to have been able to warn Damon. The guy brought his hand up and Damon was sent flying in the air, his back hitting the remains of a stone wall hard. The guy got up and advanced towards Emma when a shot rang through and the guy fell, a blood stain forming on his shirt. Emma turned in the direction of the noise to see Matt Donovan with a shot gun. Damon got up and snapped the guys neck before facing Matt.

"Matt, what are you doing here?" Emma asked.

Matt lowered the gun and stepped closer to Damon and Emma. "Where's Caroline?"

Damon sighed, hands on his hips. "Listen, man. Not a good time to play the hero."

Matt cocked the gun and pointed it at Damon. "Where is she and what did he do to her?" he asked again.

"Whoa! Matt, put the gun down!" Emma said, her body instinctively standing in front of Damon.

"Hey, I'm just here to rescue her, okay?" Damon said, holding his hands up in surrender. Damon used his vampire speed again and grabbed Matt's gun, slamming it on the poor guys head.

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't have to do that." she said.

Damon uncocked the gun, placing the bullets in his jacket pocket. "Keep talking and you'll be next." he said, but Emma knew he was just bluffing. Or was he?

They both ran down the stairs to the opening of the tomb, the feeling of deja vu hitting Emma. Though, in a way, Emma had already done this. They went to the very back to find Caroline and Tyler chained to the walls, like in her vision.

"Damon? Emma?" Caroline said, looking up at the two from her spot.

"Your boyfriend's outside with a rifle loaded. With wooden bullets." Damon informed, kneeling down next to Caroline to unchain her. "You have some explaining to do."

"What, Matt?" Caroline asked, confusion laced in her words.

Emma went over to Tyler and checked out his chains when he asked, "Matt knows about you?"

Caroline seemed lost at words. "No, I-"

Damon shushed her. "Tomorrow's problem. Let me just get you out of here." He grabbed Caroline's arm and started to drag her out of the tomb.

"Wait, Damon." Emma called out, getting up from the floor. "We can't leave Tyler. Klaus is going to kill him."

"Yeah, I'm not leaving him." Caroline voiced.

Damon groaned, eyeing the werewolf. "It's getting dark soon. How fast can you get the hell away from here?"

"I need to get to my family's cellar." Tyler explained. "I can lock myself up."

"I'll help." Caroline volunteered.

Damon went around Emma and knelt in front of Tyler. "Don't make me regret this." he said, pulling the chain apart.

The full moon stone high above them as they walked went up the last step of the tomb. Matt seemed to have been waking up as he groaned from the ground.

"Hey, Matt!" Caroline ran over to Matt. "Hey, did you hit him?!" she asked Damon, a disapproving look on her face.

The older vampire glared at her. "Did you already forget the part about the gun with the wooden bullets?"

Tyler grunted and fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

"Tyler?" Emma said, looking worriedly at the werewolf.

Tyler looked up at the moon, realizing what was happening. "It's starting."

"Ugh. Grab boy wonder and let's go." Damon told Caroline, who helped Matt to his feet.

They were running through the forest towards the Lockwood cellar. Tyler had some difficulty walking, groaning from the pain of the transition.

"What's happening? Is he okay?" Matt asked.

Damon's phone rang and he pulled it out. "He better not wolf out on us." He pressed accept on his phone. "Bad time, little bro." he said.

Emma wished that she had the ability to hear what the conversation was about, considering it was Elena's last night. All she could do was guess what Stefan was saying.

"Saving the day. I figured you'd understand." Damon replied, keeping up the pace with everyone else. "Just tell Elena to stay put." A second went by and his eyes widened. "What?" Damon seemed conflicted at whatever Stefan said next. "I'll take care of it." he said, hanging up the phone.

"Damon, what happened?" Emma asked, though Damon didn't reply because Tyler fell down, groaning in pain.

"Oh, god!" Tyler cried, his bones crunching each time he moved. Damon and Emma shared cautious looks. "I don't know if I can hold it off. Get out of here." Tyler ordered.

Caroline stepped closer to him. "It'll be okay." She ignored Tyler's plea to leave. "You've got time. We're almost there, just-"

"It's happening faster." Tyler said, groaning as he tried to control the werewolf inside him.

Caroline advanced closer to Tyler to calm him but he growled, his eyes glowing yellow. Emma yelped and backed up when Tyler went to pounce onto Caroline but Damon jumped in front and was tackled instead. Damon used his strength to keep Tyler at arms length as the werewolf bore his teeth at him. They struggled for a little bit longer before Damon shoved Tyler off of him, sending him flying back.

"Damon-" Emma began.

"I'm fine." he said, getting up off the ground.

"Get out of here!" Tyler shouted, his teeth sticking out of his mouth.

"Get to the Lockwood cellar. If it held him in, it'll keep him out." Damon said to Caroline and Matt. He turned to Emma. "Go back to the house. Klaus has Elena." he informed.

Emma's eyes widened and she nodded already breaking away from the group. She ran as fast as she could to the boarding house, remembering the path she took before. She burst through the front door and saw Alaric, Elijah and Stefan together in the living room.

"Where's Jenna?" she asked, glancing around to find her aunt.

Alaric shook his head. "I don't know. I think she went back to you house."

"There's no time to worry about her, we need to focus on the ritual." Elijah said, walking past Emma to Alaric's car outside.

Alaric carried his bag full of vampire weapons, following Elijah out. Emma made the move to follow, but Stefan's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Hey," he said, and it was at this time she noticed she was shaking from fear. Stefan brought her in an embrace. "we'll get her back." he said, rubbing her back.

Emma nodded and broke away from Stefan, wiping away the stray tears on her cheeks. "Yeah, I know. Let's go."


	29. The Sun Also Rises

***IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!***

Emma slammed the car door shut and joined Elijah, Alaric, and Stefan to walk over to the witches' burial site.

"The sacrifice is completed in stages as the full moon sets." Elijah began to explain. "First the werewolf is killed, then the vampire. Finally the doppelganger. Once Elena dies, the curse will be broken. Klaus will become hybrid."

"So when do we attack?" Emma asked, Elijah stopping to face her.

"Elena's death will activate his dormant werewolf side. He'll be vulnerable during the transformation. That's when Bonnie comes in." he said.

Stefan nodded. "And you're sure Bonnie will survive this?"

"If she can deliver him to the brink of death, I'll finish the job myself."

Just then, Stefan's phone rang and he excused himself from the group to answer it. "Damon."

The rest of them stood and listened to the conversation. Well, Alaric and Emma could only hear Stefan's side, Elijah could hear the entire thing.

"Cut to the chase. Is the sacrifice happening or not?" Stefan impatiently said. "We're sticking to the original plan. We're meeting Bonnie right now." he said after he let Damon respond to his question. "What?" Stefan asked, shock laced in his tone.

Emma could tell something was wrong and that of course worried her. There was no time for surprises to happen. They desperately needed to stop the ritual. Stefan turned around and looked at Emma and Alaric.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Alaric asked.

Damon must have said something because Stefan looked horrified. "Oh, my god." he said. He said one last thing to Damon before he hung up the phone.

"Stefan? What did Damon say?" Emma asked, too scared to do so at first.

Stefan fiddled with his phone, seeming to stall on his answer. "Um, there's a problem." he started, shoving his phone in his back pocket. "Klaus has Jenna."

Emma went wide eyed and it felt like the world was tilting forward, making her drop to her knees. First Elena and now Jenna? Why was Klaus doing this to their family? Elena had already done everything he asked and this is how he repaid her.

"W-why does he have her? What is he going to do to her?!" she shouted, feeling extremely overwhelmed.

Stefan sighed. "He's going to use her as the vampire sacrifice."

Emma used a shaky hand to cover her mouth as tears flowed from her eyes. "Oh, my god." she whispered, rubbing her hands roughly on her thighs.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was her fault that Klaus had Jenna. Emma had left her all alone at the boarding house to go save Caroline and Tyler. Jenna was just introduced to the supernatural world, she didn't know better. If only she had stayed, she would have been able to prevent Jenna from stepping foot out side the house. And now Jenna was going to be sacrificed because of her.

Alaric adjusted his weapons bag on his shoulders, his jaw tightened. "We need to tell Jeremy." he said.

Emma shook her head. "I-I can't."

"It's okay." Alaric assured, dropping the bag on the floor and heading inside to Jeremy.

It seemed that Alaric had asked Bonnie for a moment alone with Jeremy as he told him the news seeing as the witch stepped outside, joining Elijah, Stefan, and Emma. Emma was still on the ground, but sat crisscross. She didn't have the energy to explain to Bonnie the current situation so she let Stefan.

"Why did he take Jenna?" Bonnie asked.

"A punishment for meddling." Elijah responded.

"Klaus was going to use Tyler and Caroline. But-"

"But Damon and I got them out." Emma finished for Stefan, her shoulders slumped.

Bonnie shrugged. "Then we need to go. Now. Before Jenna's been sacrificed. I can kill Klaus myself."

"Bonnie, if you use that much power, you'll be dead." Stefan denied, hands on hips. "We've already been through this. It's not an option."

Bonnie crossed her arms. "Neither is letting Jenna die."

Emma saw Elijah look over at Stefan.

"Well, Stefan would agree with you." the original said, his words making Emma stand up.

Stefan nodded. "We're going to offer another vampire. One that he'll want more."

"Stefan, no." Emma countered. "There has to be a way so that no one dies besides Klaus."

Stefan looked at Emma sadly. "There is no other way." he said.

"I'll do a locator spell to find them." Bonnie said. "Emma, call John and tell him to bring Jonathan's journals. We may have a lead to save Elena."

Emma made one last look at Stefan before nodding and dialing John's number. After she called her uncle, she joined Bonnie in the basement as she did the locator spell. Jeremy reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It didn't take long for John to arrive with the box full of what they needed.

"I brought the Gilbert journals." he said, setting the box on the small table set up. "I think I know what spell you're talking about."

"Where's Damon." Bonnie asked.

John took out on of the books. "Upstairs. Alaric wanted to talk to him."

Emma's eyebrows came together in confusion. "What's spell?" she asked, changing the subject back to the matter at hand.

John opened one of the journals and flipped through the pages. "It's here somewhere, hold on."

"We don't have time to hold on." Emma said, getting annoyed.

Damon had joined everyone downstairs without Alaric.

"Here." John said, pointing to a paragraph Jonathan had written. "Jonathan journaled the story of a mother who called on Emily's services. The woman's baby was sick; dying. Emily cast a spell that would bind the woman's life force with her child."

"Skip to the save Elena part." Damon demanded.

John sighed. "Well, the child died, but the mother's life force flowed through her, restoring her to life."

"We already know Elena's going to come back to life. She'll be a vampire." Jeremy pointed out.

"Not if her soul remains intact." John replied.

Damon scoffed. "Her soul, really? You're going to put your faith in some act of god mumbo jumbo?" He looked at Emma to see if she was with him, but she shrugged.

John advanced towards Damon. "I refuse to let Elena become the thing I've spent my life protecting her against. And you can call that god or mystical energy, whatever you want, but yes. . . I'm putting my faith in it." he argued and with that, John motioned Bonnie to do the spell.

John sat on a wooden chair in the center of the basement, Bonnie standing behind him. Damon, Emma, and Jeremy stood by and watched Bonnie place her hands on either side of John's head. She closed her eyes and began to chant in Latin.

Damon snapped his fingers rapidly. "Come on, Bonnie, we got a hybrid to kill." he urged.

Emma slapped his arm. "Let her concentrate."

Bonnie let a breath out and opened her eyes, her arms falling to her side. "It's done." she said.

"That's it?" Damon asked. When he got a nod from Bonnie, he headed towards the basement stairs. "Let's go."

"I'll be back soon." Bonnie said, following Damon.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jeremy asked, stopping the witch. It seemed to have clicked in his head. "No, I'm coming. I need to be there. I need to make sure you guys are okay."

"And who's going to make sure you're okay?" Bonnie retorted.

Jeremy held up his hand. "I got my ring. Look, I'm not taking no for an answer." he said.

Emma empathized with Jeremy. It killed her not knowing if Elena or Jenna were okay but what were Jeremy and Emma going to do when they got to the ritual? They didn't have vampire strength and speed like Damon. They didn't have magic like Bonnie. They didn't even have the fighting skills and weapons like Alaric. They would be no match to Klaus and the witch he has. It would be a suicide mission if they went.

Bonnie placed her hand on Jeremy's cheek and brought him down for a light kiss. As they pulled away, Jeremy smiled down at the witch, but began to stumble back from dizziness. John came up behind Jeremy and caught him in his arms. He gently lowered the passed out teen down on the chair recently sat on.

"Go." Emma said, nodding her head towards Damon. "We'll stay with him." And Bonnie and Damon left.

The worst part, Emma realized, about staying behind was the wait. It was agonizing being stuck in the house, not being able to do anything. A short while after Bonnie and Damon climbed up the stairs, Alaric joined the Gilberts in the basement and Emma could only assume that the others prevented him from going as well. Jeremy had woken up from the spell Bonnie cast on him and he was not pleased. Emma had tried to calm him down, to see some reason, but he didn't want to hear it, too mad to care. No one slept, the wait keeping them up.

John was silent the whole time, the only thing he did was sit at a table, scribbling on a piece of paper. It wasn't long till the sun rose, it's light shining through the small rectangle windows.

Alaric leaned against a wall, sighing as he looked up. "We should have heard from them by now."

Emma was flipping through the journal John had found the spell Bonnie did on him. "Did you read all this?" she asked, running her hand over the rough pages.

John stopped writing and looked back at her. "I did."

"So you understand what happened to the child's mother after the baby was brought back to life." said Jeremy, sitting on the bundle of blankets he brought for Bonnie.

Folding the paper he wrote on, John placed the letter in an envelope. "She saved her daughter. She found peace."

"John. . ." Jeremy said, trailing off.

Emma gripped the sides of the journal, sadness and a bit of anger filling her. There was too much death happening. Sure John was an ass sometimes, but he was a decent guy. He did everything for family. He was giving Elena his life so that she could live.

John stood up from his seat and went over to Emma, holding the envelope. He held it out to her. "I need you to give this to Elena for me. And this." he said, placing the envelope and the Gilbert ring in her hands.

"Whoa, hey, what's going on?" Alaric voiced, confused. Emma carefully put the stuff in her jacket pocket.

John struggled what to say next but all he could do was sigh and look at the Gilbert siblings. "Take care of each other, please." he finally said.

Jeremy reached out and held Emma's hand tightly, the two of them nodding in response to John's request. The front door upstairs opened, causing Emma's heart to leap out of her chest with anxiety.

"I think they're here!" Alaric exclaimed, rushing up the steps.

Emma and Jeremy quickly followed behind him. They entered the den, where Damon had placed Elena's limp body on a torn up sofa. Emma saw the puncture holes made by Klaus, dried blood around the wound.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked.

Damon shook his head, moving a strand of hair away from Elena's face. "I don't know yet."

"What about Jenna?" Alaric asked, Damon looking back at them with sorrowful eyes. "No."

"I'm sorry." Damon said, turning back to Elena.

Alaric stepped away for a moment to collect himself. Emma squeezed her eyes shut to prevent tears from falling. It was sad to admit but Emma had the feeling that Jenna wasn't going to make it. Klaus wasn't the person to care what others wanted.

Just then, Elena sat up with a gasp, making everyone jump. Emma and Jeremy rushed forward and they both held onto their sister. Elena looked at everyone around her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"How do you feel?" Damon asked, his right hand cradling her head.

"I feel fine." Elena confessed, sending a wave of relief through all of them. She wasn't a vampire.

The more Emma said to herself in her head that Elena was still human, made her realize that Bonnie spell had worked. She swiftly turned around and saw John, through the front door, outside. Time slowed down as she watched him. He was standing still, staring ahead when he fell forward.

"John!"

1234

Emma slipped on her black flats, checking herself in her wall mirror. She wore a black dress that stopped at her knees and she had her mother's necklace clasped around her neck. It was her outfit for Jenna's and John's funeral.

After Elena had come back to life, Stefan and Bonnie came back to the house to deliver the news that Elijah had betrayed them all, escaping with a very much alive Klaus. Emma kicked herself inwardly, angry that she put all her trust in him. Her vision had made her so sure that Elijah was on their side, but it turned out that her vision cut off right before Elijah vamped away with Klaus.

Emma went over to the jacket she wore then that was laying on her bed. She reached inside the pocket and pulled out John's letter and ring. She clutched them in her hand and she headed for Elena's room. She paused at the door frame, watching as Elena put on her final earring.

"Hey." she said, tapping the door with her knuckle.

Elena looked over at her and smiled. "I'm almost ready."

Emma nodded and entered the room. "Um, I have something for you." she said, holding out the items. "John wanted you to have these."

Elena held the letter and the ring gently. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Emma asked.

"That you and Jeremy have lost so many people."

"We still have each other." Jeremy said, joining the two girls.

They all looked at one another with sad smiles and hugged each other, holding on tightly. Jeremy and Emma had given Elena a moment alone so that she could read John's letter in privacy, and when she was ready, they met up with everyone else at cemetery. The Gilbert siblings held red roses as they all walked over to Jenna's and John's freshly made graves.

Emma went first, kneeling down between the mini dirt piles of their graves. With a rose in each hand, she placed them at the center of their graves. She felt too uncomfortable to say anything out loud. She was the same way when it was her parents funeral. At that time, all she did was stand next to Jenna as everyone else spoke about their favorite memories of Grayson and Miranda.

A few tears escaped and she brushed them off with her hand. She got up and joined by Jeremy's side. Next was Elena. She copied Emma's actions, placing her own roses on their graves. Though, when she got up, she noticed their parents graves, and she went over and placed roses down on theirs.

This was a day Emma would truly never forget.

* * *

 **How was that guys? I take back what I said in the last chapter, this is one of the shortest chapters. The reason being because Emma wasn't part of the sacrifice so there was no point for her to go to the ritual area.**

 **I sadly have bad news. I start school again on _TUESDAY_. That means I sadly won't have that much time to update as much as I have in the past week. I'm really sorry. It's just that it's my senior year and I really can't slack off on my school work. BUT DO NOT FRET, I will try my best to update when I can.**

 **THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO THE MOST RECENT GUEST COMMENT FOR CHAPTER 28: You're right! I didn't add detail about the possible bruise Emma would have received from Damon wrapping his hand around her neck. I think the reason why I didn't do that was because, to me, it felt like Damon would not have put pressure on her throat to hurt her. Like, he was angry but he didn't want to harm her. Regarding to the second part of your comment, I did mention Damon feeding Elena his blood. It would maybe be in the middle of the chapter? Right before Elena and Stefan leave for their alone time. But I'm trying my best to put more detail in the chapters! I'm learning as I go. :)**

 **So with that being said, I hope everyone is have/had a good day today and a great winter break for those who are still in school like me. And for those of you who celebrate this holiday (I do), Happy Three Kings Day! 3**


	30. As I Lay Dying

"You brought me to see a girl movie." said Jeremy as he, Elena, and Emma walked among the crowd of people dressed in late 1800 clothing.

It was the annual movie night in the square and the featured film was _Gone with the Wind_. There was a giant screen set up in the middle of the square and many people sat in front of it with picnic blankets or lawn chairs. There were food stands selling movie food and photo booths set up to take pictures if you had dressed up. Emma had been looking forward to it for sometime, being a fan of the movie. She was thinking of inviting Jared to go with her but never got a chance due to the fact that they had Klaus breathing down their necks. But being there, at the square with everyone walking around all happy, made her want to just run away. She was in no mood to have fun. Everywhere she looked, reminded her of Jenna.

After the funeral, there were a couple cases where Emma would forget that Jenna was gone. They had just gotten back to the Gilbert home and she went to Jenna's room with the intention to ask her a question, only to stop midway up the stairs and breakdown. This morning, when Elena woke her up to get ready for the movie night, she had asked if Jenna was awake already and downstairs making coffee. Following that, she could not stop remembering. There was a woman who had walked by them with a bag that looked nothing like the one Jenna had, but Emma could not help but think that Jenna would have liked to have a bag like that.

Elena sighed, holding the picnic blanket they would use. "We had to get out of the house, Jer. This is our 3-hour distraction from reality."

"I don't know, Elena. I don't like this." Emma admitted as they stopped in a clear area. "I hate pretending nothing happened."

"We need to do this, okay?" Elena said, holding part of the blanket to the younger Gilberts. "Breathe, eat, sleep." They unfolded the blanket and laid it flat on the ground. "Wake up, and do it all over again until one day, it's just not as hard anymore."

"Hey!" a voice called and Emma turned to see Caroline making her way over with two picnic baskets. "There you guys are. Who's hungry?" she asked, setting the baskets down.

Emma took a seat next to Elena and took off the cloth that covered the food inside.

"Are we really doing this?" Jeremy asked, still standing up.

Caroline nodded. "Yes, we are really doing this. We are going to take a page from Scarlett. We made it through the war. I know you guys went through hell, and my mom knows I am a vampire, so basically it's like Atlanta has burned. And yet, in spite of everything, we persevere." Caroline said, raising her fist towards the sky.

Emma and Elena looked up at Jeremy to see if Caroline had somehow convinced him. After a second, he sighed.

"Alright. What are we eating?" he asked, sitting down next to Caroline.

Elena tossed him a ziplock bag with a sandwich in it. Emma made eye contact with Jeremy and lightly smiled in his direction.

Sometime had passed and the movie was almost about to begin. The four of them were trying to eat as little as possible to save some for the movie, but who was kidding? Food doesn't last before any movie begins. So Emma got up to get some popcorn and maybe some candy at the stands, Jeremy volunteering to help her.

"So, this is the first time in awhile we've spent time together." Emma admitted, taking out her wallet to check the amount of money she had. She had $10 which should be enough if the town didn't have ridiculous prices.

Jeremy laughed, his hands in his jean pockets. "Yeah, well, that's what happens when there's a crazy killer-" He glanced around and lowered his voice. "vampire out to destroy your family for selfish gains."

Emma sighed as they stopped to wait in the short line for the concession stand. "What else is new?" She went on her tippy toes to see the handmade menu boarding handing on the canopy. "So many choices. What are you in the mood for?"

"Uh, I was thinking M&Ms and Skittles?" Jeremy said, looking at the menu as well.

"Okay, M&Ms, Skittles, 2 medium popcorn, and, um, 3 Musketeers." Emma said to herself. When they got up to the stand, she repeated the order and the two walked back to the picnic blanket, Emma not being surprised to see Elena not that far from them with Stefan.

"Oh, good, you guys are back." Caroline said, grabbing one of the popcorn bags from Emma.

Emma sat down in her previous spot and Elena joined the group, Stefan walking away. "Everything good?" Emma asked, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

Elena inhaled deeply. "There's a problem."

"What now?" Caroline asked.

"Well, it turns out that Tyler bit Damon last night." Elena said.

Emma's mouth fell open and her eyes widened. "W-what?!" she exclaimed.

"Alaric's with him right now and I'm going to head over to check on Damon." Elena said, her car keys already in her hands.

Emma got up from her spot. "Let me go with you."

Elena shook her head. "No, stay here. Please." she asked, her voice full of tiredness.

The young girl would have argued but decided against it. There was no point in arguing. "Okay, just be careful. Who knows how he's acting, you know?" Emma asked and Elena left.

It wasn't long until the blue lights of the projector illuminated on the widescreen. Bonnie had joined the three later, apparently having tried to get the witches to help Damon but they didn't want to and kicked Bonnie out of the house. It was like they couldn't get a break and the universe was against them. When was the death count going to end?

Soon the moon rose above and the movie wasn't even halfway through when Jeremy's phone rang.

"Alaric, hey." he said, gaining Emma's attention.

" _Tell me Elena's there with you_." Emma heard Alaric say. Jeremy had his speaker loud enough for her to hear.

"She went to go see Damon. I thought that's where you were." said Jeremy after Alaric had said something.

" _No, he just escaped. I think he's looking for her, and the cops are after him_." Jeremy got up, Emma following suit. " _Listen, he's in bad shape, Jeremy, so if you find her, get her somewhere safe, okay? I'm on my way._ " And Alaric hung up.

"Jeremy, what do we do?" Emma asked, once Bonnie was filled in on the conversation.

"If Damon is off the rails, then there is nothing you guys can do to stop him. Let us take care of it." Bonnie said.

"You keep doing this." Jeremy argued. "You left me behind before and guess what. Jenna still died." Emma looked down at the ground and crossed her arms. "Now I'm going to find our sister. Go head and try to stop me." he said, walking off.

Emma looked up at Bonnie and Caroline and didn't even bother to excuse Jeremy's behavior. He had a point. It was their sister that was in danger. She quickly caught up with him and together, they searched for Damon. The movie was starting to get intense, people screaming onscreen. It was hard to search for among the crowd, too many people walking around.

Jeremy nudged Emma with his elbow, pointing in a direction. "There." he said.

Emma followed his finger to see Damon by himself, hunched over. He looked very confused. The siblings pushed their way through the crowd and made it to the sick vampire.

"Damon." Jeremy said, stopping Damon from walking further.

"Where's Elena? I need to see Elena now." Damon demanded, seeming desperate. He looked horrible. Sweat dripped down his face and his eyes were almost bug eyed.

Emma grabbed his arm. "Let's get you out of here first, okay?" she said right as Damon fell forward.

Jeremy thankfully caught Damon before he could hit the floor. "The Grill." Jeremy directed, dragging the vampire. Just as they were getting closer to the restaurant, Emma was stopped by someone she did not expect to see.

"Hey, Emma, how's it going?" Jared said, standing in the way of Emma.

"Oh, Jared, hey." Emma said, waving Jeremy to keep walking. "I'm sorry, but I really can't talk right now." she said, going around the confused boy.

"But-"

"Bye!" she called out, not turning back. She managed to catch up with Jeremy and Damon as they reached the restaurant door.

Jeremy helped Damon stand at one of the tables.

"Jer, call Alaric." Emma said, heading over to the window to check through the blinds.

Jeremy pulled out his phone and side stepped around the table Damon was at. "Hey, Emma and I found Damon and we're at The Grill." he said.

Emma had looked away from the table just in time to see the Sheriff shoot at Damon, only for him vamp away and the bullet to hit Jeremy square in his chest. Emma let out a shrilling scream as Jeremy lost his grip on his cellphone and fall backward to the floor. She rushed to his side, letting out a sob. Liz had come over, speaking into her radio.

"I've got a gunshot victim at The Grill. Get the paramedics here." she said, kneeling down.

"What did you do?" Emma asked, glaring at Liz with hatred in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, I was trying to get Damon."

"Obviously you didn't!" Emma yelled, gripping onto Jeremy's arm tightly. She looked down at him. "It's okay, Jer. Help's on the way."

"Jeremy!" a voice said, Emma recognizing it as Bonnie's.

"Oh, my god." Caroline said, kneeling next to Emma.

"Care, d-do something." Emma pleaded, looking at Caroline. "Please."

Caroline nodded and brought her wrist to her mouth, her fangs out. She bit down on her wrist, letting out a grunt, and brought it to Jeremy, Emma scooting to the side to let her get close to him.

"What are you doing?" Liz asked.

"I'm helping him." Caroline snapped, pressing her wrist down on Jeremy's mouth.

Emma ran her hands through Jeremy's hair. "Come on, Jer. Drink." she whispered.

Jeremy had stopped moving and when Caroline moved her wrist away, her blood dripped down his cheek.

"N-no." Emma cried, her hands shaking. She clutched his jacket sleeve and bowed her head. "No, Jeremy."

The restaurant door opened and closed, Alaric entering the area. "Bonnie, what's going on?" he asked, walking over to see Jeremy dead. "Oh, my god."

"I know what I need to do." Bonnie said, getting up. "I need you to grab him. T-t-take him with us."

"No, no, no." Liz protested. "You can't move him. This is a crime scene."

"Mom, you let them go." Caroline ordered, narrowing her eyes at her mother.

Liz backed away, letting Alaric through. When Alaric made the move to pick him up, Emma blocked him and brought Jeremy closer to her.

"Emma, I know, but Bonnie can help him." Alaric said. Emma caressed Jeremy's face before nodding, sliding back.

Alaric scooped Jeremy up in his arms and carried him to the back door, just as the ambulance sirens started to get closer. Bonnie and Emma followed behind him, though Emma lagged a bit behind. They were making their way up the steps on the side of The Grill when Emma felt a pair of arms around her. She looked up to see Stefan behind her. She opened her mouth to say his name, but Stefan used his vampire speed to take her away.

Everything was a blur for a few seconds before it all stood still to reveal Alaric's apartment. Emma stumbled forward a little bit, not use to the sudden movement. She looked around and saw Elijah's body on the floor with the dagger in his chest and a surprised Katherine sitting on Alaric's leather sofa. There was someone at the kitchen island who was using a knife to drip his blood into a vile. He was a tall guy, the same height as Stefan, with ginger brown hair and blue eyes. Just by looking at him, Emma knew he was no one good.

"Well, look who it is." the man said in a British accent, smiling at the girl. "If it isn't Emma Gilbert. You know, I've heard so much about you." he said, grabbing a towel to clean his hand.

"Why did you compel me to get her?" Stefan growled, his hands tightening into fits.

The man stood up from the barstool he sat at and walked over to Emma, still holding the towel. "Slow down, Stefan. I haven't even introduced myself yet." The man bowed in front of Emma. "Hello, my name is Klaus Mikaelson, but judging by the look of your face, it seems that you already know who I am." he said, seeing Emma's shocked expression.

"Why am I here?" Emma asked, stepping away from Klaus, her back bumping into Stefan. So this was the monster who had killed her aunt. He shouldn't be alive.

Klaus smiled, heading back over to the vile. "Because, you're part of the deal."

"No." Stefan immediately said, narrowing his eyes at the hybrid.

Klaus laughed. "Now, I don't remember you being the one to make the demands, considering I'm the one with the cure."

"What? The cure for a werewolf bite?" Emma asked, looking at Stefan standing behind her.

"Right you are, young one. My blood," Klaus raised the vile and waved it around. "is the only cure in the world. _And_ the only way you guys can get it for dear old brother is if you obey." he explained.

"B-but what do you need me for?" Emma asked, pointing to herself.

"Because, to have a seer at my disposal would be stupid to pass up."

Emma looked up at Stefan desperately, her eyes still red from crying earlier. Stefan made the move to protest against Klaus' order when the original wagged his finger.

"Uh-uh." he said. He held the vile over the kitchen sink and began to pour his blood down the drain.

"I'll go!" Emma exclaimed.

Klaus smiled happily and set the vile down on the granite counter. "Smart girl." He reached out to his left and grabbed a blood bag. "Now your turn, Stefan. Join me for a drink." he said, sliding the bag across to Stefan.

Stefan stood still for a moment, Emma looking back at him. She knew that Elena was feeding him her blood every so often so that he didn't go crazy like the last time during the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. The only thing that worried her was how much blood Stefan was able to handle without losing it. Stefan walked past Emma to island and tore the cap off the blood bag. Klaus had a glass in his hand, filled with blood, and raised it in the air as a toast. The Salvatore took one sip but that didn't seem to satisfy Klaus.

"Finish it." he snapped, his face expressionless. "All of it."

Stefan hesitated before he brought the blood bag back to his lips. Emma grimaced as she watch him gulp down the thick red substance. He grunted and tossed the bag aside, looking straight into Klaus' eyes.

Klaus had seemed surprised that Stefan actually finished the bag. He reached over and grabbed another bag, tossing it to the younger vampire. "Again."

"Stefan-"

Stefan raised his hand up, silencing the young girl. He grabbed the new bag, repeating what he did before. And Klaus made him keep going. Bag after bag, Stefan would finish it all and move on to the next. Soon, he ended up on the floor with countless of blood bags around him and blood was smeared all over his face, dripping down his chin. All Emma could do was stand there and watch as Stefan struggled to keep control. Emma glanced over at Katherine to see her watching Stefan as well, which angered her. It was all her fault for getting them to this point. If she hadn't betrayed them, they would have been able to kill Klaus. Stefan finally had gotten to the last bag Klaus gave him and cleaned that one dry, groaning deeply after throwing it away.

Klaus stood by Emma, much to her displeasure, smiling down at Stefan as if a proud parent. "You're very cooperative. It's almost as if you're enjoying it." he pointed out, walking over Elijah's body to get closer to the Salvatore." Klaus tossed another blood bag down to Stefan, one that Emma didn't even notice he was holding.

Stefan grabbed it, but instead of drinking it, he threw it to the side. "No more. Not until you give me the cure."

"Not until we make a deal." Klaus shot back. He knelt down and picked up one of the empty bags. "It's your choice. You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me and save your brother's life."

Stefan stared at the blood bag, the struggle clear in his eyes. He quickly ripped the bag out of Klaus' hands and tore open the bag, devouring the red liquid.

Klaus smirked. "That's the spirit." he said, standing up. He grabbed the vile of his blood he had set down on the island and walked over to Katherine, making her get up by grabbing her throat. "Sweetheart, take this over to Damon and come right back."

Emma's eyes widened when she realized what was going to happen.

"You want me to leave?" Katherine asked, as if she was in a trance.

"No!" Emma and Stefan shouted at the same time.

"Yes." Klaus responded with a smile. "And if I were you-" Katherine took the vile out of his hands and vamped away, the front door left wide open. "I'd hurry." Klaus made his way to the dinning room table and sat on one of the chairs.

Emma grabbed her head in frustration, the overwhelming feeling of failure raising in her. Nothing was going the way anything was planned. Jenna and John were dead, Jeremy was dead, though she had no idea what Bonnie had instored, Damon was going to die, Klaus was _not_ dead, Elijah betrayed them and is now sort of dead, and now she and Stefan were under Klaus' demand.

"She'll never take it to him." Stefan said, the blood bag he was drinking from was forgotten on the floor. Klaus merely shrugged, a triumphant smile on his face. "She'll never take it to him."

* * *

Klaus had made Stefan clean up the mess he made, on himself and on the floor. Some of his men came and picked up Elijah's body, taking it to a van waiting for them downstairs. When Stefan was ready, the driver took all of them to a warehouse where more of Klaus' men and a coffin were waiting for them. The original men from before grabbed Elijah again and placed him gently inside the coffin. They then went and opened a huge shipping crate that was filled with similar coffins like the one Elijah was in.

Klaus stood at the head of the coffin, leaning on it with his hands. "I suppose, brother, you've been reunited with our family." Emma looked past him at other coffins, coming to the conclusion that those were filled with the other Originals. Klaus shut the top of the coffin and waved over to his men. "Put him with the others. We're leaving town tonight." He walked over to where Emma and Stefan were waiting for him.

"So," Klaus began, just as a text from Elena appeared on Stefan's phone. "did Katerina make it in time?" he asked.

Emma peaked over at Stefan's phone and saw that the text read: _Damon's okay. Where R U?_ She let out a sigh of relief. She really thought that Katherine wasn't going to give the cure to Damon. She's known to only look out for herself.

Stefan put his phone back in his jacket pocket. "You won't be seeing her again, you know."

"Because she's on vervain?" Klaus snapped.

"How'd you know?" Emma asked, her arms crossed.

Klaus smiled. "I've been around for a long time. I rarely get played for a fool." he said, making Emma inwardly laugh at him. If only he knew that Elena survived the sacrifice. "Besides, she won't get far. You'll help me see to that."

Stefan narrowed his eyes at Klaus, advancing toward him. "What is it you really want from me?" Stefan asked.

Klaus rested a hand on Stefan's shoulder. "All will be explained in time once we leave this tragic little town."

"Then are we done here?" Stefan asked. "Can we go?"

"Not quite." Klaus said. "You see, I have a gift for you." He turned around. "Come here, sweetheart. Don't be afraid." he called, and a girl that was not much older than Emma stepped out from behind the crates. Emma recognized her but didn't know her. She only saw her around school every once in a while.

"See, I wanna make sure you honor our deal that you'll be of use to me." Klaus said, his fangs appearing. He hissed and bit down on the girls neck, making Emma step back and look away. "I could have compelled her to behave, but a real ripper enjoys the hunt." Klaus said after he was finished drinking some of the girl's blood.

He let go of the girl and she went running past Emma, but she knew the girl wasn't going to get far. Emma covered her ears as she heard the girl's screams fill the warehouse, some tears forming under her eyes. It wasn't long before they ceased and Emma looked over to where the girl ran. She saw the girl's body on the floor and Stefan looming over her. He had some blood on the corners of his mouth. His eyes were black, the iris' a deep bronze. Veins visibly pulsed around his eyes and on his cheeks. Just seeing him sent a wave of terror through Emma. He looked exactly the same way before when he attacked her during the Miss Mystic Falls ball. Was he really gone?

Klaus smiled. "Now we can go."

* * *

 **Season 2 is done! I hoped you enjoyed the chapter because I certainly did. Let me know what you thought.**

 **I also want to know what you think might happen in the next season. I'm very curious!**

 **I'll see you in the next update! 3**


	31. The Birthday

Standing on the porch of a beautiful white two story wooden house in Tennessee was the slightly taller Emma Gilbert. She had on a pair of black converse, high waisted denim shorts that were rolled up at the ends, and her mother's locket tucked underneath a t-shirt with the words '100% Human' written on it. Let's just say it was a bargain Emma couldn't pass on. And leaning on the door frame of the front door was Stefan Salvatore who was waiting patiently for their cue. No words were exchanged between the two, the sounds of the nocturnal filling the silence.

It had been two months since she agreed to leave Mystic Falls with Klaus and Stefan in order for Damon to receive the werewolf bite cure. During all this time, she was not able to contact anyone she knew. To make sure she didn't, Klaus got her a new phone so that no one could call her. Lucky, she was able to receive one final text from Alaric that Jeremy was okay just before Klaus had destroyed the old one.

Emma huffed, crossing her arms. Since her hair was in a tight ponytail due to the unbearable heat of the summer, she began to tilt her head side to side out of boredom, making her bundled hair sway back and forth across her back.

"Could you stop that?" Stefan asked, glancing over at the girl. Emma shrugged and continued, walking over to the wooden railing with chipped paint. He didn't _tell_ her to stop, he just asked.

She always hated this part, the wait with Stefan. There was really no point for her to be there, at all. Most of the time, they didn't need her for these confrontations. She wasn't sure if Klaus did it on purpose or not, having her stay with them till the very end, especially what happens.

The front door swung open and the girl who opened it screamed at the sight of Stefan. Klaus appeared behind her, holding onto another girl.

"I love it when they run." he said, a large smile on his face. "Emma, sweetheart, come inside."

Emma walked away from the railing and opened the screen door, stepping inside the house, the wood creaking under her footsteps. She looked at Klaus for instruction, only receiving a nod that said 'You know what to do'. The girl that opened the front door, dark skinned with natural curls, eyed Emma as she walked over to a wall and placed her hand on it. Emma closed her eyes and concentrated.

 _A large tan building came to mind. In all caps were the words 'SOUTHERN COMFORT' was plastered in brown letters on the front, with the 'E' crooked and a guitar in between the words. Motorcycles and a truck were parked outside. The view zoomed inside, the sound of music playing. A man walked in and sat at the bar, Klaus coming up behind him. Klaus said his name and it echoed on and on. Ray? Ray?_

"Ray?" Emma gasped, ripping her hand off the wall. Her head pounded and she felt something trickle down from her nose. She wiped her nose with her arm, already knowing what it was. "There's a place, called 'Southern Comfort'. We'll find him there." she said, walking over to stand underneath the door way to the dining room.

Since Klaus had made her come with him after the sacrifice, he had the witches that worked for him teach her how to use her powers. The whole idea was strange to Emma, that he was, in a way, helping her gain control over her seer powers. But it was just so that he could use her. And thanks to him, she now had the ability to use it when ever she concentrated hard enough.

Klaus smiled. "Well done. Now, where's that?" he asked, his eyes on the girl in front of him.

"Tulley." she said. She looked defeated. "It's near the border off highway 41."

"Thank you, my love." Klaus said. He moved a strand of hair from the blonde he was holding onto. "Now, may my friend come in your home?"

The girl whimpered. "Yes." she replied, but shook her head at the same time.

Stefan opened the screen door and stepped inside. Klaus shoved the blonde towards Stefan.

"Kill this one quickly." He looked over at the other girl. "Make that one suffer." he said, walking out of the house, Emma quick to follow.

She may have spoke too soon when she said she hated the waiting part with Stefan. It was this moment that she hated. The worse part. As she descended the porch steps, she quickly pulled out her iPod and shoved the headphones in her ears. She made sure to pick a very upbeat song and put the volume up all the way. It was so that she couldn't hear the screams. After every single 'meeting', she had to turn the volume up a little bit each time because it wouldn't be loud enough. It got to the point where she needed to have it blasting or she could hear them. As an added measure, she clasped the palms of her hands over the headphones to keep them in place and continued to follow Klaus to the car.

* * *

As instructed to, Emma sat down at one of the many tables in Southern Comfort. It was packed with middle aged men, considering it was the middle of the day. Did people really need a drink now?

Emma still wore the same clothing from the night before, not having time to change, though she did have her hair down this time. Klaus was very eager to get to the bar, not wanting this Ray guy to get away. She really wasn't sure why they wanted him, only knowing he was a werewolf. Stefan was the one in on the loop and of course, he didn't tell her.

A man walked into the bar. He had long dirty blonde hair that was slicked back, a full beard and mustache, red flannel with a grey t-shirt underneath, and blue jeans, the typical look of the south. She had to admit, he was good looking and oddly familiar. Then it clicked. This was Ray.

Ray approached the bar, leaning on the counter top. "Can I get a beer?" he asked.

On cue, Klaus made his way over from the far side of the room and sat on the bar stool next to Ray. "Ray? Ray Sutton?"

The bartender cracked open a beer and set it in front of Ray. Ray grabbed it as he looked down uncomfortably. "Who wants to know?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Klaus began. "We started in Florida, Pensacola. I met a young chap there who you worked with before you moved to Memphis. Now he directed me to two lovely young women. And they led me here. To you."

Ray put the beer bottle down. "I think I'll be going." he said, backing away from the bar.

Klaus reached out and held Ray back with his hand. "Not so fast, mate. You only just got here. Now your type are very hard to come by." Ray turned around to try to leave another way, only to be stopped by Stefan.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that." he said, pushing Ray back.

From her spot, Emma tensed. She hoped Ray would just cooperate.

Ray sighed, looking at the men in front of him. "Vampires." he concluded.

"You're swifty swift, Ray." Klaus said, a smile plastered on his face. He reached behind Ray and grabbed the beer bottle for himself. "Yes, my friend here is a vampire. He's compelled everyone in the bar, so don't look to them for any help." he explained.

Ray did a look over at the place to see many already looking at the three, but none of them seeming to be scared or frightened. His rested on Emma and she uncomfortably looked away, trying to act somewhat normal.

"I, however," Klaus continued, Ray's attention back on him. "I'm something else. A different kind of monster. I've got some vampire, I've got some wolf."

"A-what?" Ray asked, obviously confused.

"A hybrid, Ray. I'm both." Klaus revealed. "You see, I want to create more of me." Upon hearing his words, Emma grew more interested in the conversation than she was before. This was Klaus' plan? "Now, you being the first werewolf I've come across in many a moon, pun intended, Ray, aye?" Klaus said, tapping the bottle on Ray's shoulder. "I need you to direct me to your pack. So, where can I find them, Ray?"

Ray shook his head. "You can't compel me, it won't work."

Stefan scratched the side of his head before he turned to the bartender. "I need a scotch on the rocks, please." he asked, pulling out a small black drawstring pouch from his back pocket. "Tell you what, Ray. We're going to play a little drinking game." Stefan explained, opening the pouch. "Something I like to call truth or," Stefan poured the purplely contents of the pouch onto his hand. "wolfsbane."

Klaus smiled. "Oh, this is going to be fun, Ray."

Emma got up from the table and walked far from them, not wanting to watch them torture the poor guy. She managed to find a computer in the back, so she sat there as a distraction. It was easy to turn on, no login required. She had just opened the browser when the today's date caught her eye. Today was Elena's birthday. Emma sighed and covered her face with her hands. She was missing her sister's 18th birthday because of Klaus.

 _Klaus_. Everything is his fault. He took her whole life away. Took her away from her family and friends for what? He was capable of doing all of this by himself, he didn't need her and Stefan.

An idea popped up in her head just as she heard Ray cry out in pain, which she ignored. Using the page she opened, she typed in the amazon website and began to browse through the products listed. If she wasn't able to be there for Elena, the least she could do was get her a present, even if it will get there a little late. She searched and searched until she found the perfect gift. It was a vintage handmade leather journal with leather straps attached to tie it close. Yeah, she knew Elena already had one, but there was something about this journal that screamed Elena.

The cost of it was not a problem. Emma pulled out her small wallet and took out Klaus' debit card. He had given it to her so she could buy whatever she needed, whether it were clothes, female supplies, or entertainment. The only restrictions were train tickets, bus tickets, subway tickets, boat tickets, and plane tickets.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Emma jumped at the sound of Klaus' voice behind her, the card flying out of her hands onto the table. She turned her head and looked up to see him with his arms crossed.

"Why do you care?" she asked back, glaring at him. She looked back at the computer screen, but was yanked out of her seat by her arm.

Klaus leaned his head close to hers. "I asked you a question." he growled.

She seized her arm back and resisted the urge to rub where he held onto her tightly. "Fine, if you want to know so badly, I ordered something for Jeremy to put on Elena's grave. It's her birthday today." she admitted, thought part of it was a lie. Klaus had no idea Elena was still alive.

Klaus went towards the computer and looked at the recent purchase. "A journal? What could she possibly to with that?"

"It supposed to be symbolic." she informed, crossing her arms in annoyance.

Klaus chuckled and backed away from the computer. "Such a human thing to do." he said, leaving the girl to join Stefan.

Emma rolled her eyes, shutting down the computer and following him. When she entered the main area of the bar, she saw Ray tied up to a wall, in front of a dart board, and multiple darts stuck on his shoulders, head, and chest. Stefan stood not far from him with more darts in his hands. Ray groaned and began to yell, tugging at the chains on his wrists.

Stefan dipped one of the darts in the scotch he ordered. Stefan used his vampire strength to throw the dart hard, making it hit Ray's neck. Emma winced. "We can end this right now, Ray. Just tell me where your pack gathers for the full moon." Stefan suggested, pulling a dart out from the werewolf's body.

Ray breathed heavily and shook his head. "I can't."

"I know, I know, you live by a code and all that. But you see, he's not going to let me stop until you tell me." Stefan explained, gesturing towards Klaus who sat at a table amused by the scene with Emma at the seat next to him. "And I do whatever he says. That's the way it goes around here."

Just then a young woman came up to Klaus. "Mr. Klaus? I have some information for you." she said, gaining the original's attention. Emma eyed the girl. "You told me to tell you if I saw anything. I saw that guy's brother Damon at the farmhouse." she said.

Emma's eyes widened. Why Damon was still searching for them? He's going to get himself killed.

"Well, thank you, Claudine. You just tell your friends to keep the good work with the neighborhood watch, huh?" Klaus said and the woman left.

Stefan vamped over. "So my brother's still on our trail?"

"He's getting closer." Klaus said, anger laced in his words. "I'm going to have to deal with that."

Emma's heart began to pound in nervousness as Klaus went towards the exit, but was relieved what Stefan stopped him.

"No, no, no. Let me handle it." Stefan said.

Klaus raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why should I let you leave?" he asked.

"Cause you know I'll come back."

"Do I?" Klaus countered, his eyes narrowing at the other vampire.

"You save my brother's life. I'm in your service." Stefan explained.

"Oh, that almost sounds so tedious and indentured. Aren't you even having the least bit of fun?" Klaus asked, pointing at the tied up Ray.

Stefan stayed silent for a moment. "I'll make sure that my brother doesn't bother us anymore." Stefan assured, moving past Klaus.

Emma watched after him, sadness washing over her. He was going back to Mystic Falls. This may be her only chance to see everyone she cares about again. She got up from her chair and went up to Klaus.

"Let me go with him." she sternly said.

"Oh, well, with that attitude, how could I possibly say 'no'?" Klaus remarked, leaning on the bar.

Emma let out a shaky breath, trying to keep her temper down. "Please, let me go. I'll come back. You can compel me or compel Stefan to make him bring me back, whatever makes you sleep better at night, but please," she repeated, looking at him with begging eyes. "let me go."

Klaus' blue-green eyes stared deeply into Emma's green ones, pondering the idea of letting her go with Stefan. She was a little surprised when she saw him jerk his head towards the door. "Go, before I change my mind."

Emma felt a wave of relief hit her, and she ran after Stefan, just as he was about to drive away. He came to an abrupt stop and rolled down the window, leaning over the passenger seat to see her.

"Klaus said I could come." Emma informed him, a light smile on her face.

Stefan let out a sigh and unlocked the door to let her in. Once she was buckled, Stefan put the car in drive and drove off, a cloud of dust flying up in the air. It was silent, for the most part, during the car ride. Just the sound the wind made as it flowed through the open windows, which made Emma's hair flap around.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to Mystic Falls." Stefan finally said, his eyes still on the dirt covered road.

During their time spent with Klaus, Emma and Stefan agreed to keep some distance away from each other in front of the original vampire. To pretend that Emma hated Stefan for following Klaus' orders to kill. Emma understood that it was to keep the monster out of the town and away from Elena. Who knows what the man would do if he found out that she never died.

Emma looked out of the window, squinting as the sun shone in her eyes. She wished she had some sunglasses. "I know. I ju- I just want to see everyone, even if I don't talk to them. I miss them." She giggled. "Even Damon." She heard Stefan chuckle. She turned her head towards Stefan. "When you talk to him, just be gentle, okay? Don't-"

"Emma, I need to make sure he doesn't follow us anymore. If I fail at that, Klaus will kill him." Stefan interrupted, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

She had no idea what he had in mind that would force Damon to leave them alone, but he had a point.

They had gotten to an area where there was civilization. A newly built Walmart caught her eyes.

"Hey, can we stop in there?"

* * *

Emma stepped out of the vehicle, a pair of brand new sunglasses on the top of her head. At Walmart, Emma took the opportunity to get sunglasses and a change of clothes. Wearing the same clothes in unbearable heat is not fun. She got a grey short sleeve v-neck top with a small pocket on the chest and white denim overall shorts. And to keep her feet fresh, she bought a packet of new socks.

It was nighttime when they arrived in her hometown, though the heat still lingered. Stefan had parked a ways from the boarding house, where they could hear the sound of cheers and loud, pounding music. Stefan got out of the car as well, but didn't make the move to follow her.

"I'll be back soon. Try not to talk to anyone, alright? It's better that way for when we leave." Stefan suggested, staring at the house one last time before getting back in the car and driving away.

Emma watched after the car until the back lights were merely two little dots in the distance. The palms of her hands were covered in a thin coat of sweat from the heat and nervousness. The gravel crunched with each step she took towards the boarding house. She could see all the lights on and many people going in and out of the front door, all with red solo cups or the actual alcohol bottles. Worried that she would be spotted immediately, she went around the house to the backyard where there were not so many drunk teenagers. There were a bunch of people she recognized from school as she scanned the patio and the inside through the windows. She climbed up the stone steps, smiling every so often at whoever looked at her. Hopefully no one knew who she was.

She put her hands in her pockets as she walked around the outside of the house, glancing inside. She saw a large group of people dancing in the living room and some girls dancing on top of the side tables. She kept walking and saw the study, where a bunch of people were smoking some weed. She let out a laugh. Of course, the stoner den. She walked up to the other window that looked into the study and stopped, any sign of amusement gone from her face. There, sitting on beige couch that faced the fireplace, was Jeremy who happened to be taking a long drag from a blunt.

A few tears escaped from her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. The last image she had of him was Jeremy laying on the floor of The Grill in a pool of his blood with a bullet hole in his chest. He looked distraught and she wished she knew why. She missed spending time with and talking to him. Emma watched as Jeremy looked down at his lap and then lifted his head up to take another drag when his gaze fell on her. She tried to move every muscle in her body to move but she remained frozen in place. She saw him say her name and get up from the couch. That made her move.

Emma retraced her steps as fast as she could, pushing past the people who got in her way. She pulled out her phone and called Stefan's number.

"Come on, Stefan. Pick up." she whispered to herself, frustrated tears clouding her vision. She had one job to do and she blew it.

Emma raced down the stone steps, letting out a groan when the call went straight to voicemail. She almost made it to the last two steps when a hand seized her arm. She whipped her head back to see Jeremy's surprised face.

"Emma." he said, out of breath. "It is you."

She tried to say something, but she couldn't find anything to say. She thought for a moment before she quickly pulled her arm out of his hand and gave him a tight hug, throwing him off. Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and hugged her too.

"I saw you die, Jeremy." Emma began, looking up at him. "When I left, I didn't know if Bonnie was able to save you or not."

"Well, she did." he said, a smile on his face. "So, what does this mean? Were you able to get away from Klaus?" he asked, holding her by the arms.

"I-I didn't. He let me come back, with Stefan, but just for a little bit." she explained.

Jeremy frowned. "Oh, then stay here and let me go get Elena so that sh-"

"No!" Emma said quickly. "You can't. She can't know I was here." Before Jeremy could protest, she continued. "If she knew I was here, she'd try to follow us or something."

"But-"

Stefan was right, it was better not to talk to anyone. Just seeing him in the study was hard but actually being next to him and and talking to him was painful.

"I need to go, Jeremy." she said, breaking away from his grip and going down the remaining steps. When Jeremy advanced after her, she held her hands up. "Please, Jer, if I don't go, Klaus will come back to Mystic Falls and see that Elena was still alive and then kill everyone."

Emma walked backwards slowly, to see if he'd move with her. A wave of relief flushed over her when he didn't and she walked back across the gravel driveway to where Stefan had dropped her off. New tears formed and she frantically brushed them off. She moved to the side of the road when a car was heading towards the house. Because of the bright headlights, she wasn't able to recognize the car until it was about to pass her. As it passed, she made eye contact with familiar icy blue eyes, sending chills down her back. The car didn't stop, as she expected it not to and she continued her way down the road. It wasn't long before Stefan's car came into view.

She quickly opened the passenger seat and entered the car, not uttering a word. Stefan glanced over at her and saw the distraught look on her face. He watched as she buckled and simply looked out the window while letting out a shaky breath. He didn't say anything, knowing she didn't heed his warning, and drove off, heading back to the bar.

* * *

Emma followed behind Stefan as they reentered the bar, seeing Ray now tied to the pool table on his back. It seemed like Ray had even more blood on him than the last time she had seen him.

The werewolf lifted his up, looking at Klaus. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"It's time for step two, Ray." Klaus announced. In a blink of an eye, he snapped Ray's neck, Emma letting out a gasp.

"You made it back." Klaus commented, eyeing the two that just walked in.

"Did you really doubt us?" Emma replied, crossing her arms and keeping her focus on Ray's limp body.

"Not for a second, little one." Klaus said, before turning his attention directly to Stefan. "I knew you'd pass the test, Stefan. You still care for your brother; for your old life."

Stefan let out a fake laugh. "I don't care about anything anymore."

"You put on a good show, Stefan." Klaus pushed, making Emma worry he was going to do something. "I almost believe you. Let's hope for your brother's sake, he does."

Klaus got close to Stefan and whispered in his ear, "You never stop caring about family, do you? But every time you feed, the blood makes it easier to let go." The original backed away and walked off.

Emma could see Stefan's conflicted face. She wasn't sure if she should try to comfort the guy, thinking it was best to leave him be and give him some space. Her suspicions were confirmed as she watched him head out the front door. It hurt her to see him like that. Klaus was trying to force him to become this vicious monster he has tried so hard not to become for many years. She only hoped he could hold out for a little bit longer.


	32. The Hybrid

Emma walked silently behind Klaus and Stefan as they ventured through the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Stefan had Ray's body slumped over his shoulders, the werewolf still covered in dried blood. She couldn't look at Stefan without being reminded of the haunting news report she saw earlier that morning.

 _"Whether suicide or a tragic accident, WKPW News has lost one of its shining stars. Daily reporter and weekend anchor Andie Star was discovered dead this morning by local sheriff deputies..."_

She knew, without a doubt, that it was Stefan that killed Andie the night before. She didn't think he would go this far. Yeah, he said he had to make sure Damon stayed away, but to kill Andie, who was innocent, was too far.

"You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?" Klaus teased, looking over at Stefan with an amused face.

"I'm fine." Stefan breathed out.

Klaus tilted his head back. "And what about you, love? We've been walking for quite some time now."

Emma glared up at Klaus. "Peachy." Though, she had to admit she was getting tired and the sun beating down on her was not making it comfortable.

"You sure? If you need some water or a little sit-down-"

"Stop acting like you care, Klaus." Emma pointed out, stepping over a small fallen tree trunk. She huffed and looked up at towards the sky. "Are we almost done searching for werewolves? We've been looking for them all summer and only found one."

"Thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack." Klaus said, just as the trio, plus Ray, came across a large group of people in a camp site.

Emma hesitantly followed Stefan and Klaus into the camp. The werewolves in the camp eyed the intruders suspiciously. Stefan advanced ahead of the other two and set Ray's body down on the leaf covered ground. A brunette with short hair shot forward.

"Ray! Oh, my god." She knelt next to Ray's body. "What is happening?" she asked, looking up at Stefan.

"The more important question is who I am." Klaus announced, gaining everyone's attention. "Please for give the intrusion. My name is Klaus."

A guy from the pack came up to the girl and helped her up.

"You're the hybrid." the girl said.

Klaus smirked. "You've heard of me. Fantastic." He walked forward, to a log, and sat down, gazing down at Ray. As he got closer, the other werewolves backed up. "It's fascinating, actually," Klaus began, as Emma and Stefan sat down with him. "A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid."

All of a sudden, Ray sat up with a gasp, making Emma jump a little in surprise. He took in his surroundings and turned to see Klaus smiling down at him.

"Excellent timing, Ray." Klaus said. "Very dramatic."

"What's happening to me?" Ray asked, breathing unevenly. Emma guessed he was in transition.

Klaus looked over at the other vampire. "Stefan."

Stefan nodded and got up from the log. "Is anyone here human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire."

Emma shifted uncomfortably as Ray's eyes landed on her. Ray inched towards her, only to be stopped by a firm hand.

Stefan knelt next to Ray. "Off limits."

"Doesn't take much, just a sample." Klaus pushed. He got up from the log as well to look at all the werewolves. "Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend along for the ride?"

Emma noticed the girl's eyes from before flicker to the guy who helped her up. And sadly, Klaus had picked up on it.

"You." he said to the guy. He vamped forward and bit down on the guy's arm, his screams filling the air.

Klaus pushed the guy to the ground for Stefan to pin him down. The girl's eyes changed to gold and tried to get to him, but Klaus was quick to stop her.

Stefan held the guy's arm out to Ray. "If you don't drink it, I will. Problem is I don't know how to stop."

Klaus smiled down at the girl. "It's the new order, sweetheart. You join us, or you die."

The girl glared at the original vampire. "I'd rather die than be a vampire."

"Wrong choice." Klaus whispered, veins forming around his eyes. He bit down on his wrist and forced the poor girl to drink his blood, just as Ray drank from the guy's arm. Klaus patted the girl's head after she was done. "She'll thank me for that later." he said, snapping her head.

Klaus licked his fingertips. "Okay, who's next?"

* * *

Emma stood hunched over behind a tree, gagging from the awful smell of the dead werewolves. After Ray drank the human guy's blood, Klaus proceeded to force the other werewolves to drink his blood and then killed them. She would usually leave when it came to the killing part, but she had no where to go since they have finally found a werewolf pack. What made things worse, the smell wasn't contained in a building and it was overwhelmingly hot outside. It was truly unbearable for the girl.

She used her arm to wipe her mouth and she had to close her eyes to keep herself from throwing up again. Emma looked back at the middle of the camp to see Klaus standing over the human guy, more like human blood bag. She would be lying if she didn't think Klaus would use her to feed Ray and the others. He could easily keep her alive by just feeding her his blood to help her heal and regain the blood she lost like he was doing with the guy.

Emma turned away and walked over to another tree to sit down. She hated this. She hated being responsible for these innocent people to lose their lives. Before the trio had ventured out to the middle of the woods, Klaus had Emma use her powers to find where their camp was. It was her fault.

Suddenly, Klaus had vamped in front of Emma, grabbing her by the neck, standing her up, and slamming her back against the tree trunk.

"Why didn't you see it?" he growled, his eyes narrowed at the young girl.

Emma tried to pull his hands off her neck, but he wouldn't let go. "W-hat?" Emma managed to say.

Klaus growled and vamped them over to where Stefan was with Ray sitting on the log. He shoved her down to the dirt ground and pointed at Ray. "Why didn't you get a vision about that?!" he yelled.

Emma followed the direction of his finger to see Ray shaking as if it was cold out with blood flowing out of his eyes like tears. She gasped as she picked herself up, ignoring the broken pieces of dried leaves on her palms.

"What's happening to him?" she asked, turning her gaze toward Stefan.

"I don't know, Emma." Klaus said. "How about you tell m-"

"Whoa, whoa." Emma turned and glared at the original. "Don't pin this problem on me. I didn't do this."

Klaus vamped right in front of Emma and glowered down at her, making her shrink back inwardly. "I brought you along because I believed you were going to be an asset to me. You are useless to me if you can't use your powers right."

"It doesn't work like that!" Emma exclaimed, backing away from him. "When you wanted me to find this place, all I needed to do was focus on a location, not what was going to happen when we got here. And some of the visions I get are random, I don't know when they're going to happen. So, don't. Pin this. On. Me." she declared, her fists clenched at her sides.

Klaus didn't say anything and moved to stand next to Ray. It was either because he couldn't think of anything to counter her argument and believed what she had said or he was too angry and frustrated to keep talking. Silence fell over them as they watched Ray continue to shake violently.

"You said it was going to feel better." Ray said moments later. "Why doesn't it feel better?" He looked up at Klaus for an answer, but the original shifted his gaze away.

"Some master race." Stefan joked, leaning against a tall thin tree. He earned a glare from Klaus.

Just then, the girl from earlier woke up with a gasp. She looked around, confused.

"Derek, come feed your girlfriend." Klaus ordered, the human blood bag standing up. Klaus was about to bite down on the guy's arm when Ray growled and sped away from the camp. "Go get him." Klaus said to Stefan, still holding Derek.

Stefan hesitated for a moment before going after the newly born hybrid. Emma watched as Klaus dragged Derek over to his girlfriend and forced her to drink his blood. He let her drink for a little bit and pushed her back.

"Emma, watch them while I go check on Stefan." he said, dragging Derek away from the girl and disappearing from sight.

Emma stood with her arms crossed, watching the girl hug her kneels on the floor. She wanted to say something, to try to comfort the girl, but she couldn't think of anything. What exactly do you say to someone who was forced to become a hybrid and on top of that have to drink the blood from your boyfriend to stay alive? The weather?

The poor girl started to shake and Emma was shocked to see her eyes start to bleed just like Ray. And to make matters worse, all the other werewolves Klaus killed were starting to wake up. Emma looked around at all of them, seeing them hold their heads or groan from the sunlight. She heard footsteps and turned to see Klaus return to the camp, with a satisfied look on his face upon seeing his creations come to life. Though, he failed to notice the girl have the same symptoms like Ray.

* * *

The sun had finally set and Klaus made Emma start a fire. It wasn't difficult, thankfully, but she was annoyed he made her do it. Like he did with Ray and the other girl, Klaus made Derek go around the camp and had all the hybrids feed off of the guy's blood. Emma wished she could help him somehow, but he was under compulsion and Klaus would kill her. When Derek was done feeding everyone, minus Emma of course, Klaus ordered him to come back to the original.

"Bad news, my friend." Klaus began, patting Derek's shoulder. Keeping his hand on his shoulder, Klaus turned Derek around to face him. "End of the road for you." He bit down on Derek's neck and drank the rest of his blood.

"You didn't need to kill him." Emma commented as Derek's body hit the ground. "You could've compelled him to forget everything he knew about the supernatural and send him on his way."

Klaus chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?" he said, earning a disgusted look from Emma. He saw the hybrid girl limp over in his direction, her face covered in blood. "Careful, love. There's only one alpha here."

She didn't say anything, only standing still with an absent look in her eyes. It seemed to Emma that Klaus finally took notice to all the hybrids bleeding from their eyes.

"Bloody hell." he said frustratedly.

They all walked around like zombies, slow and in no direction. One of the hybrids near Emma was walking in her direction. She moved out of the way to let them go by, but she saw that he was following her. Fear instantly filled her body as the hybrid's eyes changed color and he bared his teeth at her. She yelped when the hybrid pounced on her, making her fall to the ground with him on top of her. He didn't have time to cause her any harm, thanks to Klaus vamping over and snapping the guy's neck.

Emma was breathing heavily as she looked at the hybrid's limp body on the floor. It took her by surprise when she saw a hand in front of her face, realizing it was Klaus'. She looked up to see him staring at her, waiting for her to take his hand. Reaching up, she took it and Klaus lifted her up to her feet.

"Thanks." she muttered, brushing dirt off of her legs.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a hybrid fall to the ground, followed by two more hybrids. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as a few more fell as well. She heard multiple sounds of growls and hissing coming all around the two of them. She feared that they might attack like the other hybrid. Klaus thought the same thing and vamped to every single one of them, either snapping their necks or ripping their hearts out.

Emma sat on the log in front of the fire pit and covered her ears, keeping her gaze on the small patch of grass next to her hiking shoes. She didn't have enough time to search for her headphones. Thankfully, she didn't need to stay like that for long because Klaus was sitting next to her in a matter of seconds.

She slowly uncovered her ears and looked up. It saddened her to see all of the hybrids dead and it made her angrier towards Klaus. He did this to these innocent people, forcing them to be in his hybrid army to what? Strike fear in people? People are already scared of him, so he's already done a good job for 1,000 years.

Her attention turned to just ahead of her where she saw Stefan join them with Ray on his back. He set Ray down with a grunt and then looked around the camp, shocked.

"They went rabid." Klaus said, taking one of the beer bottles. "Some of them, I killed. The others just. . . bled out." He got up from the log, walking forward a couple steps. "In the end, they're all dead." Klaus let out a yell, throwing the bottle against a tree stump near by.

Emma flinched at the sound of the glass breaking. Some of the beer got on her arm, but she made no move to wipe it off. She was worried he might kill her just from lifting a finger.

"I did everything I was told!" Klaus shouted, frustration evident in his voice. "I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelganger."

What he said made Emma and Stefan glance at each other. Klaus was silent for too long, and she feared he might come to the conclusion that Elena never died. Klaus looked at Emma and then at Stefan.

"You look like hell." Klaus commented about Stefan's appearance.

Emma looked over at the vampire and saw that he was out of breath and sweating a lot. It was then she saw the werewolf bit on his left arm. "Did Ray bite you?!" Emma asked, getting up from the log and grabbing Stefan's arm to examine the wound.

"Yeah. I had to take him out." Stefan said, looking down at Ray's body. "I didn't have a choice. I failed you."

Emma looked up at Stefan, not sure if he meant what he said or just saying it to change the subject so that Klaus wouldn't think more about the hybrid problem.

"I'm sorry." Stefan continued, tearing his arm out of Emma's grip and standing in front of Klaus. "Do what you have to do."

Emma's eyes widened. Was Stefan asking for a death wish?

"It should have worked." Klaus said, still angry.

He walked back to the log and grabbed an empty beer bottle, staring at Stefan. A wave of relief washed over Emma when Klaus bit down on his hand and let his blood drip down in the bottle. He held the bottle out to Stefan.

"Bottoms up." he said, Stefan taking the bottle somewhat skeptically. "We're leaving." Klaus began to walk away, but he stopped mid-step. He looked at all the lifeless bodies on the ground. "It seems you're the only comrades I have left." he said before walking off.

Emma stared after him. For some odd reason, she felt sorry for the guy. Now, it wasn't that she felt this way because his master plan to create a hybrid army and take over the world went wrong. It was that he was all along. He had no one besides Stefan and herself, even though they were with him because he threatened the lives of everyone they love. He also had really bad trust issues. All of his family members were stored away in coffins, impaled with daggers in their chests. All because they most likely disagreed with Klaus.

Stefan chugged the blood that Klaus put in the beer bottle and tossed it on the ground. He looked over to where Klaus disappeared before turning to face Emma. He opened his mouth but hesitated.

He sighed and nodded his head towards Klaus' direction. "Let's go." he said, walking off.

She could tell he was holding something back from her. If only he would tell her.

* * *

 **Ahhh, I finally got a chapter out! I hope you guys liked it. :)))**

 **Make sure you comment below on how you enjoyed it or thoughts on what might happen next! I love reading what you guys have to say. And don't think I don't take into account what you guys suggest I do to make the story better because I do!**

 **See you in the next chapter! 3**


	33. The End of the Affair

"You lied to me." Klaus growled, standing in front of Emma.

They were still in the woods, in the camp filled with the dead hybrids.

Klaus advanced towards her, veins appearing around his eyes. "You told me your sister was dead."

Emma backed away from him, breathing heavily in fear. "I-I don't kno-"

Klaus vamped forward and grabbed her neck, lifting her off the ground. "Shut up!" he shouted, throwing her across the camp.

She landed with a loud thud on her side, making her whimper in pain. She clutched her side and attempted to get up, but it hurt too much. Emma looked up at the original, but in her peripheral vision, she noticed one of the hybrid bodies nearby looked oddly familiar. She let out a gasp. It was Jeremy.

How did he get there? He was in Mystic Falls. Emma scanned the rest of the camp and saw that all the lifeless bodies were the people she loved and cared about. Caroline laid behind Klaus, her face drenched in a fresh coat of blood. Bonnie was on her stomach, her head angled in an odd position. Alaric's eyes were still open, staring up at the moonlit sky. Matt's neck was torn open. And then there was Damon, his heart laying next to him.

"No." she whispered, tears flowing down her eyes. She heard footsteps to her left and saw Stefan holding Elena. "Elena!" she called out.

Elena tried to move, but Stefan held her tightly. Emma knew he had no choice by the look of his face. Klaus gestured all around him.

"This is what happens when I am betrayed and lied to, Emma." Klaus said. He faced Elena. "And you. You had one job. All you had to do was die and everyone you loved would be safe. But apparently, you didn't take me seriously!"

Klaus stomped over to Emma and picked her up, putting her in a choke hold. "After I kill your darling sister, you're next. Only, your 'one true love' will do the job as part of his punishment. Then, I'll make him into the monster he's locked away deep inside himself."

Elena tried to plead for him to stop, but Klaus shook his head.

"A little too late for begging, sweetheart. Now, say goodbye." he said, positioning his hands on either side of Emma's head.

"No! Emma!" Elena cried out, struggling against Stefan's iron tight grip.

Emma made eye contact with Elena, both of them sobbing. The young Gilbert mouthed 'I love you'. Emma tensed when she felt Klaus move her head, making her close her eyes.

"EMMA!"

* * *

"Emma!"

Emma woke up with a gasp, sitting up straight in the seat. She looked around frantically, noticing Stefan looking back at her from his seat in front of her.

"We're getting gas."

Oh, yeah. It was a dream.

Emma got out of the car, climbing over the second row of seats and then stepping out of the car. She stretched her body with her arms reaching for the sky, all of her joints popping. The moon was still up, making her wonder what time it was. She looked around and saw that they were parked in a gas station.

As for the city, Emma had no idea where they were.

When she finally followed Stefan after he drank Klaus' blood to cure himself from the werewolf bite, there was already a black SUV waiting for them. The car immediately drove off once she sat in her seat, the driver not even waiting for her to buckle up. And so that's what they've been doing for the past few hours or however long she was asleep. She had missed Klaus say what the destination was, so she didn't bother asking. Since it was the middle of the night and she had to sit in the third row of the vehicle, she took the opportunity to sleep because, damn, she needed it after the day they had. Sadly, sleep did not give her the escape she needed.

The driver was pumping gas into the car as she walked to the trunk of the SUV and opened it, taking out her suitcase.

"I'll be right back." she said, making her way to the bathroom on the side of the gas station.

Emma scrunched her nose at the smell of the bathroom as she set the suitcase down on the ground, taking out her toiletry bag. She went to the sink, turned it on, and splashed water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror, scenes from her dream flashing before her eyes. A shiver ran through her back, remembering the dead bodies. She splashed more water on her face.

It's only a matter of time before Klaus figures out that the reason he can't make any hybrids was because Elena was still alive. And because of his anger issues, he was going to kill everyone.

Emma finished getting washed up and changed into a set of clean clothes. As she stepped out of the bathroom, her stomach growled. She started to think about what food she should buy at the fast food restaurant attached to the mini-mart the gas station had and smiled when she saw Stefan leaning against the SUV with a bag from the restaurant. The driver took the suitcase from her to put it away and Stefan handed her the bag.

"A breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, and bacon, hashbrown bites, and I wasn't sure if you wanted coffee or orange juice, so I got both and you can pick which one you want and I'll have the other. The drinks are in the car." he said as she examined the contents inside the bag.

She smiled up at him. "Thanks." She closed the bag to keep the heat within. "Where's Klaus?" she asked, realizing the original wasn't in the car when she woke up.

Stefan nodded his head towards the right to where Klaus stood with his phone on his head. "Making a call to make sure everything is prepared for when we get to where we're going."

"Which is?"

"Chicago."

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are we going to Chicago?"

"Who knows." Stefan replied, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Emma remembered his hesitation from earlier that night.

"So, what are you hiding from me?" Emma asked in a low voice, keeping an eye on Klaus.

"What do you mean?"

Emma looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. "Really? You're going to act like you have no idea what I'm talking about?"

They stared at each other before Stefan finally sighed.

"Fine. While we were in the woods, I found Elena, Alaric, and Damon." he admitted.

Emma's eyes grew wide as saucers. How was that even possible? "But I thought you made sure Damon would stop looking for us."

Stefan nodded. "It worked with him, but Elena is, well, Elena."

 _He wasn't wrong_ , she thought. Elena is most persistent person she knows, so it shouldn't be a surprise that she's still looking. That just made Emma think about her dream again. The more Elena looks for them, the greater the chance Klaus was going to see her.

Klaus ended his call as he joined Emma and Stefan at the car. "Time to go. Still got some time to go." he said, and with that, they filled back into the car.

Emma ate the breakfast burrito Stefan got her and chose to drink the coffee, not wanting to go back to sleep. It wasn't long before the city lights of Chicago came to view as they got closer to the city. Emma watched the tall buildings blur by and it continued to make her wonder what their business was in Chicago. The SUV came up to a warehouse, the driver parking the car inside.

"Welcome back to Chicago, Stefan." Klaus said, stepping out of the car first.

So the reason they came here was for Stefan? It was obvious that Stefan, living as a vampire well over 100 years, has been everywhere, but Emma had no idea what was so special about Chicago that made Klaus take them here.

Emma got out of the car after Stefan, glancing at all the boxes stored in the warehouse.

"What are we doing here?" Stefan asked, just as Klaus opened one of the side doors of the warehouse to reveal a beautiful view of the city.

"I know how much you loved it here." Klaus acknowledged, leaning against the door. "It's bringing back memories of the good old ripper days."

Stefan stood with his hands on his hips. "Blocked out most of them. A lot of blood, a lot of partying. Details are all a blur."

Emma saw a storage truck pull up, knowing that inside was Klaus' family.

"Well, that is a crying shame. The details are what makes it a legend." Klaus said. "Chicago is a magical place."

Stefan shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'll take your word for it. Like I said, I don't remember most of it."

"Ready to get down to business, then?" Klaus asked, closing the door.

"Okay, why are we here?" Emma asked, crossing her arms. "We've established that Stefan had his best ripper days here and blah blah, but what does that have to do with your master plan?"

Klaus smiled, "We're going to see my favorite witch. If anyone can help us with our hybrid problem, it's her." he said, getting inside the car again.

* * *

The trio entered a dark, empty bar that was playing music from the 20's. Emma wasn't sure if it was empty because it wasn't popular or it was closed, there wasn't a sign outside.

"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Klaus asked Stefan.

The vampire looked around the bar. "I can't believe this place is still here."

"You got to be kidding me." A voice said after the sound of a door closing.

Emma turned to see a dark brown middle-aged woman enter the room, holding some sort of book.

"So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender-" Klaus began, but was silenced by the woman.

"Stop. You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny." she commented, causing Emma to smile at her joke. The woman nodded towards Stefan. "I remember you."

"Yeah," Stefan said. "You're Gloria. Shouldn't you be. . ."

"Old and dead?" Gloria finished. "Now if I die, who's going to run this place, huh?"

As the older people spoke, Emma walked over to the main bar area.

"Gloria's a very powerful witch." Klaus informed the other two.

"I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells, but don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day."

"Emma," Klaus called, gaining her attention. "since you're over there, why don't you fix us up a little something from behind the bar."

"But I don't know anything about alcohol." Emma said.

Klaus nudged Stefan. "Well, it's never too early to start learning. Stefan, give Emma a hand?"

Emma went behind the counter and looked at all the bottles on the shelves, not sure where to begin. When Stefan appeared next to her, she kind of just let him take over. She stood at the center and noticed some pictures that were tapped onto the wall. They were pictures of people from a long time ago, all in black and white. What caught her eye and really shocked her was a picture of Stefan, with a particular vampire. She ripped it off the wall and showed it to Stefan who grabbed it eagerly.

"What is this?" Stefan asked Klaus.

Klaus stood from his seat. "Well, I told you, Stefan. Chicago's a magical place."

"But this is me." Stefan said, pointing to the picture in his hands. "With you."

* * *

The ride back to the warehouse was silent. Stefan still had the picture with him, and he couldn't stop looking at it.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why don't I remember you?" Stefan asked as they entered the warehouse.

"You said it yourself, that time had a lot of dark holes." Klaus responded.

Stefan didn't seem to like that answer. "No, if you knew me, then why haven't you said anything?"

"I'm a little busy right now. Memory lane will have to wait."

"What the hell is going on? Answer me." Stefan growled, grabbing Klaus' arm and turning him around.

"Whoa," Emma said, putting her hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Let's not get physical."

Klaus, as calmly as he could, took Stefan's hand off him. "Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start. To be honest, I hated you."

Klaus proceeded to go on about how his sister, Rebekah, had a little thing with Stefan in the 20's.

"Your sister. So I knew another original vampire." Stefan concluded, narrowing his eyes at Klaus.

Emma shook her head. "Meeting two originals is something you don't just forget." she said, thinking deeply.

"If you can't handle it, don't ask." Klaus said, ending the conversation with the final word.

The trio walked into an area of the warehouse where all the caskets that held Klaus' family were placed in a half circle. Emma tried to remember which one was Elijah's, but they all looked the same. Just looking at the caskets made her wonder about the type of people his siblings were and what they did to make him so angry to stab them and keep them dead for as long as he wanted them to be.

Klaus went up to the casket that was straight ahead, opening the top to reveal a young blonde woman in a glittery 20's dress. She looked exactly the same way Elijah was: dark gray skin, veins all over her skin, blue crusted lips, and a dagger to the chest. Klaus reached out and caressed his sister's cheek, smiling sadly down at her.

Stefan and Emma stood next to him.

"I don't recognize her." Stefan admitted after seeing Rebekah.

"Don't tell her that." Klaus said in a low voice, as if he was making sure she wouldn't find out. "Rebekah's temper is worse than mine."

"So then why are you taking the dagger out?" Emma asked as Klaus ripped the dagger out of the other original's chest.

"Because, Emma, we need her help." Klaus replied, tossing the dagger aside. "Wake up, little sister." he chimed. Emma noticed that Rebekah remained the same. "She's being dramatic." Klaus explained, humor erased from his face.

Stefan started to pace around a little bit. "Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on?" he asked, adding a smile. "I mean, you obviously want me here for a reason, right?"

Klaus nodded. "Well, you have many useful talents."

"Do I?"

"In fact, I leaned some of my favorite tricks from you." Klaus said, before going down memory lane again, literally going into detail his favorite tricks Stefan had taught him. Emma had gagged when he had said that Stefan made a poor man drink the blood of his wife. "I was your number one fan."

"Why should I believe any of this?" Stefan asked.

Klaus began to walk towards the exit of the warehouse. "When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria's bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die." he instructed a guard, who nodded to his orders. "Emma." he said, turning to the girl. "you are going to stay and take care of Rebekah."

Emma's eyes widened. "Wait, you're leaving me alone with a vampire I don't know and who's been dead for almost hundred years?" she asked.

Klaus shrugged. "Sorry, but I need to make a quick stop with Stefan and it would be such a drag to have to take the car. You'll figure something out."

"Where are you going?" she asked, still not believing what Klaus had just said.

"We're going to Stefan's old apartment." Klaus said, and the two disappeared into thin air.

Emma let out a shaky breath, going over every possible scenario.

Rebekah could mistake Emma as the one she gets to feed on once she wakes up. Or she kills both Emma and the guard. Or Rebekah kills her!

She tried to think of some sane reason as to why it was alright for her to be alone with the other original. Nothing came to mind. What kind of reassured her was she didn't get a vision that she was going to die. Or maybe she didn't get a vision because it was going to happen so soon that there was no point in seeing the vision and then living it right after.

"God!" Emma cried out, hitting herself in the forehead. "Stop being an idiot." she said to herself. "Okay, Emma, you just got to make sure that you tell her that Klaus left you here not as a snack **( A/N: ;) )** but as a helping hand with his plans before she tries to kill you." she muttered, trying to think of what to do.

Emma turned to the guard, seeing him just standing still. She walked up to him. "Aren't you at least scared that you're about to die?" she asked him, but he continued staring emotionless at the wall ahead. Klaus must have compelled the guy to only talk and respond to him.

Emma tried to think of anything that could help her calm down because at this rate, her heart was going to explode with anxiety. She looked around and saw that caskets. Curiosity got the better of her, making her go over to the closest one. It's like the saying, curiosity killed the cat. In this case, she's the cat but she was already going to possibly die soon so might as well.

The casket she went up to had a thick coat of dust on it, some parts of it had finger prints of Klaus' minions from when they brought out of the truck. The lid wasn't locked. Were caskets supposed to be locked or something? Probably not because the people inside were supposed to be, you know, dead. But considering Klaus had killed his siblings and placed them inside in caskets, you'd think he'd add a lock on them as additional security.

Emma grabbed a hold of the edge and lifted the top, only to close it right away. She opened the side that showed the legs. Opening the right top, she looked down at the body. It was a man. Or a boy? She wasn't sure how old the person was, but he looked young. Seeing the outfit he wore, she tried to guess what era Klaus had killed him in. The man boy had trousers that seemed like khakis but were dark brown. He had a button up dress shirt with a vest. It almost looked like he came from the time of pirates. His hair wasn't super long but wasn't short. She had to admit, he was handsome despite the gray skin and veins covering his face. She wondered what type of person he was, hopefully not like Klaus.

She closed the top and turned to the casket across from where she was. This one didn't have much dust on it, so Emma assumed it was Elijah's. Again, she wasn't sure which top was the correct side. Both tops look the same so it's not easy to tell where the top half of the body would be. She lifted the top up, and sure enough, Elijah was there. Just seeing him made her feel so many emotions: betrayal, hatred, anger, pity, sadness. He was the only person that was able to almost kill Klaus and yet he spared Klaus' life and saved him. But in a strange way, she understood why he did that. Klaus was is brother, you don't just kill family. Unless you're Klaus.

It was then that she heard a soft swoosh, sending goosebumps all over her arms. She closed the top of Elijah's casket and slowly walked over to Rebekah's. Seeing what she expected, the casket was empty.

"Klaus wants you to meet him at Gloria's bar." the voice of the guard said from behind Emma.

"Thank you." said a female voice with a British accent.

The next thing Emma knew, the sound of flesh being torn filled the warehouse. Emma cautiously walked back to where she last saw the guard, only to see his body laying on the floor, his neck ripped open with blood still flowing out of the wound. He wasn't moving.

"Who are you?"

Emma spun around and saw Rebekah, the life restored to her. Her skin was no longer dark gray, but a ivory color. Considering she had just killed the guard, she didn't have a drop of blood on her clothes.

"I-I'm Emma." the young girl replied, her muscles tightening out of nervousness.

Rebekah eyed her suspiciously and walked over to the girl, her heels clicking on the cement floor. Emma wasn't sure if she should run away or try to fight, but there was no point. She could not defend herself against a vampire.

"You're human." Rebekah stated, grabbing Emma's chin and turning it to the side. "And yet, you don't seem to be under compulsion."

Emma nodded her head. "I'm a-a seer. I mean I can still be compelled but Klaus has me see the future." she explained, backing out of Rebekah's hold on her chin.

"Well, did you see me try to kill him when he gets back?" Rebekah asked, picking up the dagger Klaus had tossed aside.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Um, no? But, you're, actually, we're supposed to meet him at Gloria's bar. That's why he had the guard give you that message."

Rebekah groaned. "I am tired of following my brother's rules." she said, rolling her eyes. "If he really needs me, he'll find me here." She walked over to a tall rack and sat in an empty space on a shelf, crossing her arms.

"But, I don't think he'll like that." the young Gilbert said in a low voice.

She was unsure what to do. It was clear that Rebekah wasn't going to listen to anything she said. Emma looked around and decided to just sit on the floor.

"So, who did my brother threaten to kill that made you have to stick with him for whatever he's doing?" Rebekah asked.

"Um, well, for starters, he killed my sister and then threatened not to heal someone very close to me." Emma replied, playing with her shoe lace.

Rebekah bounced her foot. "Ah, and if you don't follow directions, he kills that person and everyone else you care about?" she finished, Emma nodding in agreement. "Sounds like him." She chuckled. "And this seer ability?"

"It happened some what recently. Klaus has had a witch be knows help me control it." she said. She took a deep breath in. "Are you sure you don't want to go to Gloria's because Klaus will be really, and I mean, _really_ angry." she stressed, pointing to the door to the warehouse.

Rolling her eyes, Rebekah tilted her head to the side. "Yes, Emma. I am absolutely su-"

The warehouse door opened and Klaus came stomping in. Emma stood up as Klaus slowed down when he saw the guards dead body.

"Where is she?" he asked, walking past Emma to the open casket.

Emma turned to point to where Rebekah sat but was met with an empty space. She faced Klaus and saw him peer inside the casket.

"Rebekah." he called out. "It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

All of a sudden, Rebekah vamped from where she was hiding and jammed the dagger into Klaus' chest, making him gasp out in shock.

"Go to hell, Nik!" Rebekah sneered, glaring up at the hybrid.

Klaus narrowed his eyes and grabbed the handle, pulling the dagger out of his chest. He extended his arm out and dropped the dagger.

"Don't pout, you knew it wouldn't kill me." Klaus said.

Rebekah shrugged. "Yeah, but I was hoping it would hurt more." she said, backing away from him.

"I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah, so I'm going to let that go. Just this once." Klaus said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I tried to tell her-"

"It's alright, sweetheart." Klaus said, cutting Emma off. "I brought the peace offering here." He looked towards the door. "You can come in."

On cue, Stefan entered the warehouse, stopping next to Emma.

"Stefan?" Rebekah asked in disbelief.

Klaus waltzed up to Stefan and stared into the younger vampire's eyes. "Now you remember."

Stefan's eyes widened, paralyzed in his spot. He blinked rapidly and looked at Rebekah, a small smile on his face.

"Rebekah." he whispered, walking over to her slowly. He stopped midway and turned back to Klaus. "I remember you." he said. "We were friends."

"We are friends." Klaus corrected, patting Stefan's shoulder. His eyes darted to Rebekah. "And now the reason you're here. Gloria tells me how to contact the original witch."

"The original witch?" Rebekah repeated.

"What do you have that Gloria needs?"

Rebekah reached up to her chest but realized something was missing. "Where's my necklace? What did you do with it? I never take it off." she said frantically.

"I don't know. I didn't touch it." Klaus answered with an annoyed voice. "Tell me that's-"

"We need to find it, Nik."

"not what she-"

Now, I want it back!"

"needs! Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!" Klaus shouted, grabbing onto his sister.

Rebekah pushed Klaus away and marched over to her casket. She reached in and felt around, angrily growling. She looked over at Emma. "Did you take it?!" she yelled.

Emma shook her head. "N-no."

Rebekah turned back to the casket and kicked away with her vampire strength, letting out a scream.

* * *

 **Yay to another chapter! I hoped you liked it because this was fun to write. Make sure you comment below on your thoughts about the chapter.**

 **See you in the next chapter! :)**


	34. Disturbing Behavior

Emma sighed, shifting through the rack of mid length dresses. Of course she was tasked to find something suitable for Rebekah to wear since her current outfit was a little. . . outdated. She was having a bit of trouble since the original did not like most of the clothing Emma showed her, making her task even harder. And the Gilbert couldn't stop thinking about what Stefan had told her the night before.

 _"You have till 7 to be ready tomorrow." Klaus said, closing the door._

 _Emma sat on the queen sided bed of the hotel room she was staying in for the night. She was surprised he was letting her sleep, even thought there was the urgency to find that necklace they needed so badly._

 _The young girl went to her suitcase and took her pajamas out to get ready for bed when her phone buzzed with a notification, causing her to look at it suspiciously. She never really used the phone, mostly it was for emergencies in case she got lost or in a situation she couldn't handle by herself. No one had that number besides Klaus and Stefan._

 _She walked up to the nightstand where the phone lay and picked it up. She got a text from Stefan._

 _'_ Are you still up? _'_

 _"Yeah?" she said aloud, typing '_ yes I am. Is there something wrong? _' back to Stefan. Why was he texting her?_

 _'_ Rebekah's necklace is Elena's necklace. _'_

 _Emma's eyes widened and sat back down on the bed in shock. Seriously? The necklace they needed to contact the original witch was the necklace that Stefan gave to Elena? That she is probably wearing at this very moment? Back in Mystic Falls? Nothing was ever easy._

 _'_ what do we do? _' Emma texted in response, her mind going all over the place. She didn't get a reply right away which made her worry a little bit._

 _Her phone buzzed. '_ I don't know. Don't worry about anything. I'll figure something out. Night. _'_

 _Emma groaned, falling backward on the bed. Great. This was just fantastic. Don't get her wrong. She was happy that Stefan had included her on the situation, but she just wished that he would let her help. Yeah, it sucked that she was human and didn't have superhuman strength and speed. She had her seer powers, but that didn't really help much. Can she fight bad guys with the ability to see the past and future? Physically, no, but indirectly, yes._

 _Sitting up and scooting to the center of the bed, Emma sat with her legs crossed. She closed her eyes, breathing slowly in and out. She wasn't sure on what to focus. The necklace or Elena. She shook her head and decided to let her powers show her anything._

 _She didn't see much. Just flashes of Mystic Falls. Mostly at the high school, but that could have been because it was almost Senior Prank Night. She tried to concentrate more, but it seemed like her powers were only going to show her that, not really answering her questions._

 _Guess she really wasn't much help._

"Emma? Do you have another outfit ready for me?" Rebekah shouted from the fitting room.

Emma snapped out of her daze and focused on the dresses again. Not wanting to keep the original waiting any longer, she grabbed a random black dress from the rack and carried it to the curtain of Rebekah's room.

"Here." she said, slipping the dress through the side of the curtain. The Gilbert turned and sat in the vacant seat next to Klaus and waited for Rebekah to try on the dress.

"There has to be more to this dress." Rebekah said, probably judging the sense of style this generation liked so much. Emma didn't blame her. She missed out for almost 100 years.

Klaus, holding a glass and bottle of champagne, rolled his eyes. "There's not." he replied, annoyance laced in his voice.

Rebekah pulled the curtain back and walked out to the center of the room with the dress on. Emma had to admit, she looked beautiful in the dress. It was black with a low v-neck, stopping at the middle of her thighs. She wished she could look that pretty when she was older.

"So women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes, then." Rebekah concluded.

"Not _all_ women." Emma muttered, while Klaus and Stefan smirked.

"You know," Rebekah continued. "I got dirty looks for wearing trousers."

Klaus finished sipping some of the champagne. "You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing."

Rebekah scrunched up her face. "And what is this music? It sounds like a cable car accident."

"It's dance music." Stefan said.

"You would dance to this?"

Emma nodded her head along with Stefan.

"Are we done?" Klaus asked, letting out a bored sigh.

Rebekah pouted. "And why are you so grumpy?"

"I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids are dying, one thing. Your necklace. And you lost it."

"I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for a 90 years." Rebekah countered. Turning to Stefan, she pointed to her dress. "So what do you think?"

Stefan examined her dress and nodded. "I like it." Though his response didn't satisfy her. "What? I said I like it."

"I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan." Rebekah said, marching back into the fitting room. "Emma! Find me something else."

Emma let out a groan. That was outfit number 19. This vampire better like the next thing she gives her or. . . yeah, nothing.

"Thanks, Stefan." she said, getting up to look for more clothes at the back of the store.

"Yeah, nice one." Klaus agreed, drinking out of the champagne bottle this time.

"Alright, I'm going to get some fresh air." Stefan announced, letting down his glass and heading to the store exit.

Emma watched him from where she stood and saw him stop mid-step, making her wonder what he saw outside. He glanced behind him towards Klaus, but made eye contact with Emma. She knew something was up. She felt herself move to go after him, but stopped when Rebekah shouted for her to hurry up.

"Hold on." she responded, watching Stefan disappear in the sea of people outside.

She sighed and focused back on the clothing situation. How was she supposed to know what style Rebekah liked? She walked away from the rack and went up to Rebekah's fitting room.

"Okay," she began, crossing her arms. "this isn't easy for me because you keep turning down everything I show you. To speed things up, how about we look together?" Emma suggested, waiting for a reply.

The curtain opened and the original stepped out. "Fine."

Emma beaconed the older girl to follow her and stopped in front of some shelves. "Alright, now, what do you like?"

"What do I like?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, what catches your eye as you look at these tops?" she asked, gesturing to the shelves.

Rebekah scanned the folded tops and then pulled one of them off the shelf. "This one."

Emma smiled. The top she had picked was white with golden flakes all around it. She wasn't surprised Rebekah had picked it because it was sparkly, like what she wore when she temporarily died.

"Perfect! Now," Emma took the top and held it up to Rebekah. "I think this would look great with some shorts." Upon seeing Rebekah's confused face, she explained. "Shorts are like what I'm wearing. Trousers but really short." She quickly walked over to a table with shorts laid out and handed them over to the other girl.

Rebekah thought for a moment, looking down at the articles of clothing in her hands. "Alright." she said, returning to the fitting room.

Emma strolled over and took Stefan's seat, crossing her legs.

"Here, you want some?" Klaus offered, extending out the bottle to Emma. When she shook her head, he let out a chuckle. "Come on, Emma! Loosen up a bit."

"As tempting as that may sound, I don't need alcohol to loosen up." she replied, holding up the mini water bottle that was given to her. "I'm 13, by the way, you know, since you seen to have forgotten."

Klaus waved her off. "I remembered, but you'd think in any generation, children would jump at the opportunity to be adventurous." He brought the bottle to his lips and took a large gulp. "Rebekah!"

"Yeah, yeah, Nik. I'm coming." Rebekah voiced, pulling the curtain back and presented herself in the new outfit.

 _Now this was more her style_ , Emma thought. "I like this one." she commented.

Rebekah smiled and twirled around. "Me, too. Definitely more comfortable."

"Oh!" Emma exclaimed, springing up from the seat and rushing over to grab a pair of heels. "I think these will work."

The Mikaelson graciously accepted them and slipped them on, the heels adding more height. She walked over to a mirror and posed in front of it.

As Emma watched Rebekah, she saw her own reflection and was surprised to see herself smiling. And seeing that smile reminded her why she was in the store, hell, Chicago, in the first place. The smile faltered until it vanished from her face. Why was she feeling happy? This shouldn't be a happy or fun moment for her. She was here against her will with two known murderous original vampires, one of them having threatened the lives of her loved ones. So why was she having a good time?

"I'm ready." Rebekah said.

Klaus slammed the champagne bottle on the coffee table. "Finally! Let's go. Gloria is expecting us."

"What about Stefan?" Emma asked, following the two vampires out of the store.

"He'll meet us there, I guess."

* * *

Emma sat in one of the empty tables adjacent to where Gloria sat with lit candles and a grimoire in front of her. She was performing a locator spell. To say Emma wasn't nervous because of the possibility that the witch would be able to find the necklace, she'd be lying. Thankfully, Gloria wasn't having a lot of luck locating it, since she didn't have that much information.

The sound of the entrance door opening and closing caused Emma to look behind her to see Stefan waltz right in.

"You left us." Rebekah whined from her spot on the bar counter.

Stefan chuckled. "Yeah, sorry. Retail therapy was making my head explode."

"Tell me about it." Klaus agreed, drinking his third glass of scotch.

Stefan stood by Emma and pointed at Gloria. "What's she doing?"

"She's doing a locator spell." Emma answered, receiving a nervous glance from Stefan.

"She's failing." Klaus said, annoyed.

Gloria sighed in frustration. "It's hard to find something when you don't have much to go off of."

Rebekah jumped off the bar counter and made her way over to Gloria. "So use me. I only wore it for a thousand years."

"See? Now this one offers a solution." Gloria remarked, reaching out her hand to Rebekah who sat on the table. "Alright, give me your hand, sweetheart." Gloria grabbed a hold of Rebekah's right hand.

"She's, uh, she's looking for the necklace, huh?" Stefan noted, uneasiness in his tone.

No one answered him and watched as Gloria concentrated long and hard.

"I can sense something." the witch announced, making Emma squirm in her seat.

This was not good. There had to be a way to stall them from finding the necklace just a little bit longer. But what could she do? Screaming there was a rat would be stupid. If she dropped a glass cup, maybe, but it's something that could be brushed aside.

Gloria began to chant in Latin, which sent shivers down the young girl's spine. She kept going before releasing her hold on Rebekah's hand.

"I found it." she said.

Emma was bouncing her leg rapidly at the news. Not good.

"So where is it?" Rebekah urgently asked.

Gloria shook her head. "It doesn't work like that, doll." Emma held in a sigh of relief. "I get images. There's a girl with her friends-"

"Yes, a dead girl with dead friends if I don't get my necklace back." Rebekah interrupted, obviously mad.

"Well, I'll have to dive back in to get the details."

"So dive." Klaus ordered, walking past Stefan.

"I need more time." Gloria said. "And space." she added when Klaus leaned on the table she was at. "You're harshing my ju-ju."

Klaus didn't move. "We can wait."

Gloria laughed. "I'm sure you can, but that's not what I asked."

Emma and Stefan made eye contact. The girl darted to Klaus and then back to Stefan, trying to send him a message to do something. He got the hint.

Stefan walked up behind Klaus and clasped his shoulder. "Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later. I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat."

Emma looked at Stefan with a judging look. That was not what she meant by doing something at all. But it worked because Klaus and Rebekah started to follow Stefan out of the bar, Emma rushing to catch up. When the four of them got outside, Emma stopped walking.

"Can I go somewhere?" she asked, making Klaus look at her with curiosity.

"And what gave you the impression you can just leave?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm asking permission, aren't I?" Emma pointed out, Rebekah holding back a smile. "Look, I'm hungry, too, but you guys are going to kill innocent people and I really don't want to sit and watch you guys eat them." she explained, gagging a little as she spoke.

Klaus glanced at the other two vampires before looking back at Emma. "Alright, then. But, you'll need one of my men with you."

Emma nodded. "That's fine. Thank you." she said as Klaus called for one of his people.

"Stay with her and don't let her out of your sight." he ordered the guy, who nodded in response.

Once the vampires left, Emma told the guy she wanted to go to a pizza place. She's been seeing buses drive by with a banner on the side about Chicago's famous pizza. The guy drove her to the restaurant and let her buy whatever pizza she wanted, a meat lovers delight. She didn't if he was a vampire or a human so she wasn't sure if she should've offered some of her pizza, not that he seemed interested in the food in the first place.

She took the freshly baked pizza to a table and began to eat, enjoying the salty meal with the guy sitting next to her. The front of the restaurant had a giant window for a wall that showed the busy street and people walking by. She was on her third slice when someone who walked by made her drop the slice in shock. She quickly got up from her seat and Klaus' guy following her movement.

"I, uh, need to go to the bathroom." she said, pointing to the back. As she made the move to walk away, she stopped when the guy moved to follow her. "Hey, he said to watch me, but that doesn't mean to come with me to the bathroom."

The guy sat back down, letting Emma go. She pushed past people as she made her way to the back. She went right past the bathrooms and out the backdoor, entering an alley. Remembering the direction the person she saw go, she ran to the left to the sidewalk, looking around frantically until she saw the person's hair.

She started to follow the person, moving past people who were walking agonizingly slow. The person turned right, into an alley, after walking down a couple of blocks. Though, when Emma was able to round the corner, the person had disappeared.

Emma sighed. "Come out, Katherine." she called.

"Long time no see, Gilbert."

Emma turned around and found Katherine standing behind her with her arms crossed.

"You're pretty good at knowing which doppelganger is who." the vampire commented, a smirk on her face.

Emma scoffed. "It helps having lived with her my whole life. Anyways, Elena doesn't know we're in Chicago."

Katherine let out a t'st. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Elena was here, yesterday, and spoke to Stefan."

Emma frowned. Elena was here last night? And Stefan didn't tell her? But, why? Why wouldn't he tell her that her sister was in the same area as her? This was definitely something she was going to discuss with Stefan.

"Well, tha- that's a different matter. What are _you_ doing here, Katherine?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes.

"What? I can't be anywhere without it being related to a scheme?" Katherine asked, putting on an innocent look. Of course, it did not convince Emma. "Jeez, since you really want to know, I've been keeping an eye on Stefan."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You've been following us this whole time? Why? Shouldn't you be in another country or planet now that Klaus is focused on something else? If he sees you, he'll kill you."

"Aw, Em, you care about my safety."

"Not in a million years."

"Well, I care about Stefan and I want to make sure that Klaus won't ruin him and maybe make sure you were okay, too." Emma's eyebrows shot up, making Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? You found a small place in my deep dark heart."

Emma nodded slowly, not sure if she should feel thankful or creeped out. "Thanks." she said in reply. A thought popped up in her head. "Wait, if you're here to watch over Stefan, then why are you here?" Klaus, Stefan, and Rebekah went back to the warehouse.

"I was on my way to Gloria's. I saw Stefan head over there after the 3 musketeers had their snack." Katherine explained, pointing North of their position.

The young Gilbert tried to think why Stefan would go back there. Then it clicked. "Oh, no. I'm going to assume you already know about the necklace and say that I think he's going to try to kill Gloria." Emma said, looking at Katherine with wide eyes.

Katherine sighed, nodding in agreement. "Man, he'd do anything for Elena." she muttered before grabbing onto Emma's arms. "Hold on."

In a split second, the scenery around Emma changed from the dirt alley to a restaurant kitchen. Emma opened her mouth to say something, but Katherine silenced her by putting her finger on her lips. From outside the double doors that lead to the dining area, Emma could hear cries of pain and she immediately knew it was Stefan. Katherine had motioned with her hand for Emma to wait and she vanished.

Emma went up to the door and pushed it open. She had to hold in a gasp from the sight. Stefan was laying on his back on a table without his shirt with Gloria's hands on his chest. There were candles lit all around them and markings on the floor. Stefan's face was visible from where she stood and she frowned when she saw it covered in sweat and his pained expression.

"She's the doppelganger." Gloria said, stepping away from the table suddenly. "She's supposed to be dead, and that's why Klaus can't make hybrids, isn't it?" she concluded with a laugh.

All the blood drained from Emma's face upon hearing Gloria. She was going to tell Klaus what she found out.

"Well, this is creepy."

Gloria turned to the sound of a voice next to her and Emma gasped when Katherine shoved a knife in the witch's neck, letting her body hit the ground with a thud.

"Maybe you do need my help after all." Katherine told Stefan as she looked down at him.

Emma burst through the doors and rushed to Stefan's side, seeing the burn marks on his chest. "Stefan, are you okay?" she asked, helping him sit up on the table.

The vampire nodded his head, still breathing heavily. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." he said and Emma could see the marks starting to heal.

Katherine tossed him his shirt and stepped over Gloria's body. "You know, I've been thinking about your diabolical." she began.

Stefan had already put his shirt on and covered Gloria's body with the tarp he was laying on. "Oh, do tell."

Emma moved around the two and started to blow out all the candles.

"Well, you must know that Klaus is too paranoid to ever fully trust you. But the sister, she loves you like it was yesterday. She's the easier mark."

"Hold on," Emma interrupted before Katherine could continue. "You're not suggesting Stefan should play around with Rebekah's feeling, right? Because that would be incredibly stupid."

Katherine began to twirl a stand of her hair. "Not if he does it right. He has to make her feel so she'll want him more."

Stefan stood up. "Ah, so you mean, I'm, uh, I'm taking a page out of the Katherine Pierce playbook." he joked.

"The only question is why? I mean, I get it, you want to keep Klaus away from Mystic Falls, but what else do you expect to get from it?"

"You know what's funny? You keep talking to me like I actually trust you enough to tell you anything." Stefan countered.

Katherine walked up to Stefan and stood close to his face. "We're beyond that. I just saved you from Hilda the High Voodoo Priestess."

Stefan glanced at Emma who was already staring at him. She gave him a shrug. It may be a bad idea to tell Katherine, but she'd do anything for Stefan, well, almost anything.

"Okay." he said, taking a deep breath. "I knew them, back in the twenties. They were running from someone. Someone who scared them."

"The Hunter." Katherine said. "I heard stories about him centuries ago."

Stefan nodded. "Don't you want to know why an original vampire who can't be killed is afraid of a vampire hunter?"

"If you're planning on making a move against Klaus, I want in."

Emma laughed but covered her mouth after she got a dirty look from Katherine. "I'm sorry, but _I_ find it funny that you believe you'd stick around to help."

"Seriously?" Katherine sneered, crossing her arms.

Stefan picked up Gloria's wrapped up body and headed towards the exit.

"Seriously." Emma confirmed, following after Stefan.

As the two walked to the shore of Lake Michigan, Emma remembered what Katherine had told her when they were in the alley.

"So, why didn't you tell me about Elena coming to Chicago?" she blurted, keeping her eyes on the ground.

She heard Stefan sigh. "Let me guess, Katherine?" She nodded. "Well, I-I didn't tell you because it would have been hard for you to say goodbye, like what happened with Jeremy."

Damn, he had a point. She sucked in a breath, feeling tears starting to form. "You're right. The more I think about it, you're right. I wouldn't have been able to keep it together." she admitted, doing everything in her ability to keep her tears in her eyes. "I assume Damon was there, too, right?"

"Yeah."

She missed everyone so much. She missed hanging out with Jeremy. She missed joking with Elena. She missed talking about boys with Caroline. She missed the small talk with Matt. She missed laughing with Bonnie. She missed bickering with Damon. She missed judging Damon with Alaric. She missed being in Mystic Falls with her friends and family.

* * *

When Stefan and Emma had gotten back to the warehouse after he took care of Gloria, he told her to stay out keep guard before going inside by himself. She thought it was a dumb idea to do, considering she had no chance going against a vampire. But she didn't protest and stayed outside, enjoying the view of the lit out city at night from her spot on the curb. She couldn't help but think back to the shopping spree they did earlier that day for Rebekah. She had to confess that Klaus and Rebekah weren't awful to spend time with.

Behind all the anger, brooding, and painful memories, Klaus seemed like a good person. Okay, not good but a decent person who has feelings every so often. Back at the werewolf camp, Klaus could have let that one hybrid kill her, but he saved her. He could have done it because he needed her for her powers or he didn't want to add on to the body count. She'd like to think of it as him caring about her.

Rebekah, again without the anger issues, could have the potential of being Emma's friend. She seemed fun and someone the younger girl could relate to. The thing Emma noticed was that Rebekah looked sad. She must have had to follow Klaus out of the fear of him plunging that dagger in her chest. She was basically held prisoner.

"Where have you been?"

Emma looked up at the figure emerging from the shadows to see it was Klaus.

"My guy said that you went to the bathroom and disappeared." he said.

Emma got up from the curb. "I- Stefan found me and I thought it'd be fine to stay with him. Sorry, I should have said something." she apologized.

"Don't let it happen again." Klaus growled, heading to the warehouse door.

"What's wrong?" she asked, falling in step behind him.

Klaus slammed the door wide open, his nostrils flaring. "Gloria's gone." he responded and Emma saw Stefan and Rebekah standing together by the caskets. "She's cleared out. We need to find a new witch immediately." He stopped walking mid-step, Emma almost bumping into him. "What's going on?"

"Something's wrong. He was asking about Michael." Rebekah said, distancing herself from Stefan.

Emma got an uneasy feeling in her stomach, watching Klaus narrow his eyes at Stefan who tried to act like nothing was wrong. _This was it_ , she thought to herself. They weren't careful enough, actually, Stefan wasn't enough and now Klaus was most likely going to kill them.

"He's not with us, Nik. I can sense it." Rebekah informed.

"She's wrong." Stefan said, trying to throw Klaus off.

Rebekah's eyes darted to the young girl next to her brother, making Emma shrink back a little. "And if he's not in, she is too."

Klaus looked at Emma from the corner of his eyes and Emma knew she should put some space between herself and the original.

"Klaus. . ." Stefan trailed off, but Klaus didn't believe him.

There was a second of silence before Klaus shot forward and snapped Stefan's neck, his body falling limp on the floor. Emma cried out, her eyes wide in fright. She was next. There was a chance she wouldn't be kill, since Klaus didn't permanently kill Stefan, but that chance was very slim. Klaus turned and vamped in front of Emma.

"Sleep." he said, his pupils dilating.

And Emma fell into a sea of darkness.

* * *

Emma sat up with a gasp, her heart racing with panic. She looked around and saw she was in the back of a truck with the Mikaelson caskets, an alert Stefan, and a pissed off hybrid.

"Nice of you to finally join us, love." Klaus said, giving her a fake smile.

"Listen, just let me-"

"Oh, there's no need, Stefan." Klaus said, sitting on one of the caskets. "I'm not mad, I'm just curious. Rebekah seems to think you're holding onto something. A piece of your old life. The thing is, she's got flawless instincts; borderline supernatural. So I thought I would check it out. See for myself what it is you've been hiding."

Klaus got up and headed towards the metal door, pulling it up. The sun shone in Emma's eyes, making her shield them as she got up. She let her eyes adjust for a moment before looking outside, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Welcome back to Mystic Falls."

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter! I don't know if I said this before, but I'm on Spring Break, rn, and I really want to take advantage of the break to write more for you guys! So I really hope it wasn't bad.**

 **Please don't forget to COMMENT! I want to know you're thoughts!**

 **I've been getting questions on the relationships between the Mikaelsons, BUT TIME WILL TELL. THEY ARE ALL GOING TO BE TOGETHER SOON SO BE READY!**

 **See you in the next update! :P**


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